{Dark Chocolate Brownie}

This brownie is so good that I feel like I need to make an acceptance speech, I want to shout, I can cook brownies!!! actually I did shout that and do a little dance which freaked out the wee peas a bit, but you see I've never really made a perfect brownie, never one that I am super proud of, the dense, fudgy, moist (sorry George) kind of brownie. 

I actually still can't believe it came out of my oven, as soon as Jay got home from work I rushed to him with a slice on a plate and said "look, just look at it, its perfect !!!!" So to my speech, I'd like to thank Shara for reading my blog (and liking it) and for listening to me whine about my brownie baking deficiencies which resulted in her sharing with me Bill Grangers recipe, brownies are now officially on the list of things I can cook.

...the brownie
1 1/2 cups caster sugar

2/3 cups cocoa powder

(as per Shara I used 1/3 cup cocoa and 1/3 cup dutch cocoa)

3/4 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs, lightly beaten

200g unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

(I used 70% cocoa)

Preheat the oven to 160 or drop it to 150 if your oven is fan forced only like mine. Line a 22cm square baking tin with baking paper. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour and baking powder in a bowl. Mix in the lightly beaten eggs, cooled butter and vanilla until combined, and then lastly mix thru the chopped chocolate. Pour into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes, then using the baking paper pick it up and pop it onto a wire rack.

Little tips re the baking time, (I suffer a bit with anxiety when it comes to timing brownies) it needs to feel set when you press it in the middle but a skewer should not come out clean, it will come away from the edge of the tin a bit, and its better to undercook it than overcook it.