variation on a theme

When I was about 15 a close family friend asked me to assist her with a catering job. We were catering for the Narooma Blues Festival when it was in its infancy and my first task was to make a batch of brownies. The festival was held over a long weekend and we needed enough for the three days so my task was to make them in a huge tub that came up to my hips - one you might find holding dry stores in a health food shop.

The brownie making wasn't without its challenges, as you can imagine with a batch that big, and we went through dozens of eggs. I remember writing down the ingredients list and then dividing it so that the batch was more suited to a small family!

This is another recipe from Donna Hay's Modern Classic Book 2 but I like to experiment so when I made this batch of brownies yesterday I also added 1/2 cup each of broken walnuts and frozen raspberries. I guess you could add any nuts, white chocolate or blueberries.

J and I could have been found having a cup of loose-leaf (the best kind of) tea and a sneaky brownie out on the back verandah while the kids were inside playing Lego this morning.

chocolate brownie

200g dark couverture chocolate*, broken into pieces
250g butter, chopped
1 3/4 cups brown sugar (I used 1 1/4 cups instead)
4 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted***
1 1/4 cups plain (all purpose) flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

I also added half a cup each of chopped walnuts and frozen raspberries.

* I just used some dark eating chocolate I had stashed in the cupboard.
** I used 1 1/4 cups instead
*** I used carob powder. I loved this flavour combined with the dark chocolate.

Preheat the oven to 160ºc. Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
Place the sugar, eggs, cocoa, flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Pour the mixture into a 20cm square slice tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 50 mins or until cooked. Cool slightly in the tin. Cut into slices. Serve warm or cold. Makes 16 slices.