Easy chocolate brownies

I’ve tried a lot of brownie recipes over the years — cakey brownies,  gooey brownies, fudgy brownies, “ultimate” brownies — but the one I make most often is this family standby.

These brownies tick all the right boxes for me. The cocoa powder and flour give them some cakeiness, and adding chopped chocolate to the mixture ups the goo factor. The tops are nicely dry and crackly, and the insides moist and melty.

Also, while I’m all for using good quality ingredients, I’m a bit skeptical about recipes that call for 400g of top quality chocolate and six eggs to produce a pan of brownies…

Easy chocolate brownies
(makes 16)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 8 Tb cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (or 1/2 cup of good quality chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C, gas mark 3). Grease and flour an 8×8″ baking pan.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the cocoa powder.
3. Stir in the vanilla and eggs, and mix well.
4. Add the flour and mix again. Fold in the chocolate pieces.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is set but gives slightly to the touch and the brownies are beginning to pull away from the sides.
6. Allow the brownies to cool before cutting into squares.

Tags: chocolate, vegetarian