Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies

 

Raise your hand if you are a big fan of brownies!  I thought so  . . .  me too!  I simply adore brownies of any kind.  I make really good brownies.  When I worked at the manor the Mr liked for me to bake him a pan of brownies at least once every couple of weeks.  I am sure that missed my brownies when I finished working there. 

 

My brownie recipe produces dense, fudgy brownies, depending on how long you cook them for. You can cook them a bit longer if you want cakey brownies, but  . . .  come on  . . .  fudge . . .  

 

I remember attending a cooking show when I lived down South.  The Celebrity Chefs on it were the Tanner Brothers and Paul Rankin, with guest star Vanessa Phelps.  They did a  Brownie Challenge and what they made were not Brownies in my opinion  . . . .  

  

They were wet and gloopy.  You should be able to hold a good brownie in your hands to eat it. It would have been impossible to hold those.  I was most disappointed.  Most disappointed . . . I guess I expected more from Celebrity Chefs than that.

 

What you see here today is my regular brownie recipe amped up with the addition of three kinds of chocolate chips.  Well, semi sweet chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. You could use butterscotch chips if you can find them and if you can't find either butterscotch or peanut butter chips, add milk chocolate chips in their place.

 

They get stirred into the batter prior to baking and then when the brownies are finished, you melt a few more and flick them melted  . . .  one at a time over the top . . .  decoratively like  . . .

I wanted to bake something nice for my next door neighbour and her son.  She has been ever so kind to us throughout this pandemic.

 

Whenever she is getting a grocery order, or her friend Julie is going to the shops for her, she always messages me on facebook  to ask me can she get me anything.  That has been a real gift to me.  Milk, bread . . . prune juice, butter, whatever I am in need of.

 

It is really thoughtful of her and I so appreciate it.  Because she has fibromyalgia and diabetes she is on the ultra vulnerable  list and gets delivery slots for things much easier.

 

I would have thought with Todd's age, his cancer, radiotheraphy combined with my diabetes and high blood pressure we would have been on the list as well, but nope! We are not.

 

It doesn't make sense but it is what it is.  In any case Max and Cory have been really good to us and so today I baked these brownies for them to show them just how appreciate we truly are.

  

I hope that they like them!  I confess, I did keep a few back for me, but only a few because one . . .  I am a diabetic and shouldn't eat stuff like this and two, Todd hates chocolate bakes.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Yield: 16

Author: Marie Rayner

Moist and delicious with full on chocolate flavour, these are everything a good brownie should be, with three different chocolate chips inside and a glaze of the same after baking!

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

• 240g (1 cup) butter
• 140g (1 cup) plain flour
• 4 ounces good quality bitter chocolate
• 4 large free range eggs
• 400g (2 cups) sugar
• 1 TBS vanilla essence (YES 1TBS)
• Pinch salt
• 45g white chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
• 45g semi sweet chocolate chunks (1/4 cup)
• 45g peanut butter chips (1/4 cup) (if you can't get those, use milk chocolate chips)

To glaze:

• 2 TBS chocolate chips, melted
• 2 TBS  semi sweet chocolate , melted
• 2 TBS peanut butter chips, melted (if you can't get those, use milk chocolate chips)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and flour the bottom of an 9-inch square  baking tin. Tap out any extra flour.
2. Melt the butter along with the chocolate over low heat in a large pot. Allow to cool, then stir in the sugar, eggs (one at a time) vanilla, flour and salt, mixing with a wooden spoon and being careful not to over mix, no more than 50 strokes! Fold in all of the chocolate chips
3. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out a little wet if you want fudgy brownies. Bake until it comes out cleaner if you want cake type brownies, about 40 to 45 minutes for the fudgy ones.
4. Flick the melted chocolates one at a time over the top of the brownies and then place them in the refrigerator to cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.

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If you wanted to, and you had brownie mix in the house, you could just make that and stir the three chocolate chips into them and then melt some to drizzle on the top afterwards.  Not quite as good as these I am sure, but whatever floats your boat! 

 

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Upside-down Toffee Apple Brownies

  

I normally like to bake Todd something special at the weekend. Usually it is a cake, but we already had some cake in. (I bought a lemon loaf at Costco on Thursday.) 

 

I thought maybe some  muffins or squares.  Then I picked up this book and went looking through.  Its a cookbook I picked up at Marks & Spencer a while back.  The recipes in it always turn out. So far not a dud in the bunch. 

 

I did have rather a lot of dessert apples so when I spied the recipe for Upside-down Toffee Apple Brownies, I thought  to myself *DING *DING * DING  this is it!  Todd loves apple anything!  Dessert apples are sweet eating apples, that you might eat out of hand.  Think Red Delicious, Pink Ladies, Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp or Golden Delicious! All are great Dessert Apples.  I had Pink Ladies.

 

The recipe starts out much as an upside down cake would, with you melting butter and brown sugar together.  In this case light muscovado sugar.

 

Muscovado has a higher molasses count than regular brown sugar, but if you can't find muscovado use brown sugar. Or you could add 1 TBS of molasses to the mix. The sugar and butter mixture gets poured over the bottom of the pan and then you lay sliced apples evenly over top.

 

The batter is a simple one. Again, butter and muscavado sugar are creamed together.  Some eggs get beaten in, and then a mixture of flour, baking powder and baking soda are stirred in, along with some ground mixed spice.

 

Don't worry, I have actually attached my recipe for making your own mixed spice right to my recipe this time!

 

Once that is all mixed together you fold in some grated eating apples and chopped toasted hazelnuts!  That's it.

 

Spread that over the apples in the pan and bake!

  

The end result is an incredibly moist and chewy cake type of brownie.  So tasty warm with a hot cuppa, or if you wanted to turn it into dessert a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would also go very nicely.

Yield: 9

Author: Marie Rayner

Upside-down Toffee Apple Brownies

prep time: cook time: total time:

All the flavours of a Toffee Apple in a brownie.  Wonderful served warm with a hot cuppa or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

ingredients:

For the Toffee Apple Topping:

• 85g light muscavado sugar (can use brown sugar) (1/3 cup packed)
• 55g butter (1/4 cup)
• 1 dessert apple, cored and thinly sliced

For the Brownie Base:

• 115g butter, plus extra for buttering pan (1/2 cup)
• 175g light muscavado sugar (can use light brown) (3/4 cup packed plus 1 1/2 TBS)
• 2 large free range eggs, beaten
• 210g plain flour (1 1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 2 eating apples, peeled and coarsely grated
• 85g chopped toasted hazelnuts (1/2 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Upside-down Toffee Apple Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a 9 inch square non-stick baking tin well. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter and sugar for the topping together in a small saucepan.  Pour into the prepared baking tin.  Arrange the apple sliced decoratively over the bottom of the tin on top of the toffee sauce.
3. Beat the butter and sugar for the brownie together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs a bit at a time to incorporate.  Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, and spice.  Stir into the creamed mixture until combined. Stir in the apples and nuts. Spread over the apples in the baking tin.  (I find that what works best is to apply 6 large dollops evenly spaced and then to spread the dollops out.)
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until firm and golden brown.  Cool in the tin for 10 minutes prior to tipping out onto a square platter. Cut into squares to serve.

NOTES:

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:
You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

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Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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Todd was very happy with this bake.  He scarfed down two of them right away.  I don't know how he stays so thin.  We are like Jack Sprat and his Wife!  Never mind . . . we are who we are.  I hope you will try these delicious apple brownies. I think you will be well pleased with them! 

 

PS - After one session with the Chiropractor my back feels at least 50% better.  I can't wait for my next few sessions.  I bet I will soon be feeling better than I have in years! I highly recommend!

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Rocky Road Brownies

 

I was so embarrassed today.  We went to the grocery store this morning to do my weekly shop, only to have my card turned down at the cash register.  Not once, but twice. And then we tried Todd's card and his was turned down also. Has that ever happened to you?  I wanted to wither up and disappear into a hole in the floor.  I have never had it happen before. But then again, normally I check our bank balance before I go shopping. Today I neglected to do that.  Lesson learnt! 

 

In any case this will be a slim pickings week to say the least.  I rise to the challenge.  Thank goodness we have a fairly generous store cupboard!  Perfect for times like this! Oh boy! I don't think I will ever be forgetting to check our bank balance prior to shopping again!

 

This brownie recipe I am sharing today is one I baked early last week. It is not Rocky Road in the sense of the North American style of rocky road, although it is similar to be sure! 

 

The recipe comes from this cookbook I bought at M&S a long time ago when we were living down South.  The M&S cookery books are usually quite good if you can get your hands on one. They are filled with good dependable recipes.

 

I love M & S (which stands for Marks & Spencer's).  I am always telling Todd, if we won the lottery I would shop there all the time.  You can't beat their clothing.  We always buy our nightclothes there and Todd gets his shoes there.  Quality. And everything wears well. 

 

It is the same in the food hall.  Quality. You do pay a bit more for their food, but it lasts twice as long as food you buy anywhere else.  Funny that! 

  

Anyways, back to these Brownies.  Rocky Road here in the UK, is a type of slice that is made from melted chocolate  with butter and  then stirring in broken biscuits (usually digestives), candied cherries and marshmallow bits.  You press it all into a pan and then stick it in the refrigerator.  Its quite nice actually!!  Very sweet.

 

These brownies are not made of melted chocolate, butter and broken biscuits.  The batter is a simple brownie batter  . . .  with melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder  . . . 

 

You stir candied cherries and toasted walnuts into the batter  . . .  glace cherries.  You could use maraschino cherries if you wanted to.  Just dry them off very well.  I always rinse my glace cherries in warm water and dry them off anyways.

 

They get baked like any other brownie gets baked . . .

 

They have a thick chocolate glace icing . . .  its not runny, but it's not fluffy either.  

 

This gets spread onto the top of the cake and then you lightly press some mini marshmallows into the top over the icing, just so that they adhere.

 

Let them set and then you can cut them into bars to serve.

 

These are amazingly good.  The brownies are  moist and hold well together . . .  with a nice crunch from the toasted walnuts and a bit of sticky sweet cherry surprise here and there, that I quite liked!

  

I think I would actually call them a bit dangerous actually  . . . in that you will find yourself sneaking into the kitchen to cut off one more sliver when nobody is looking.  Oh, I am so naughty!

Rocky Road Brownies

Yield: 16

Author: Marie Rayner

Quite simply delicious.  Not the North American version of Rocky Road, but the British with glace cherries, walnuts and marshmallows.

ingredients:

• 225g butter, melted (1 cup)
• 100g plain flour (3/4 cup)
• 140g caster sugar (3/4 cup)
• 3 TBS cocoa powder, sifted (not drinking mix)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 large free range eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 70g glace cherries, quartered (scant half cup)
• 70g toasted walnuts (scant 2/3 cup)

For the frosting:

• 200g icing sugar (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 TBS cocoa powder, sifted
• 3 TBS evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 60g mini marshmallows (1 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Rocky Road Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients all at once. Beat well to mix together smoothly. Stir in the cherries and walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until just firm on top. Leave to cool in the tin.
3. To make the frosting, place all of the ingredients into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk to give you a spreadable consistency. Spread over the cooled brownies. (It won't be really thick, but it shouldn't be runny either.) Sprinkle the marshmallows on top, pressing down slightly. Leave to set before cutting into squares to serve.
4. Store any leftovers in a tightly covered container.

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I remember going to a cooking show when I was working down South and they had several celebrity chef's on.  They both baked Brownies.  It was a brownie-bake-off. The end result was somewhat disgusting.  the Brownies were like melting in the middle cakes.  A good Brownie shouldn't be soupy or messy.  You should be able to pick it up with your hand and eat it.  I felt like telling them so . . .  but I didn't because I am polite, and well  . . .  they were the celebrities. 😲 

Happy Saturday!  If you are looking for a tasty treat to bake the family this weekend, do bake these. You won't be sorry that you did! 

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