Klem’s Cooking: Best Ever Brownie Recipe

By Klementine Burrell-Sander

Do you want to bake? No, not that kind of bake. Well, maybe that kind of bake. You know what I mean – like, just making really good, delicious brownies. Everyone loves brownies. As long as we’re on the same page, boy, do I have the recipe for you.

If you’re a fan of chocolate (like me) or just sweet things in general (also like me), you’ve probably come to recognise the brownie as one of the superior baked goods. Rich, layered cakes are all very well and good, but they’re hard to make, expensive to buy and sometimes just not even as good as a really decadent brownie. I would go so far as to say that the brownie is the most universally well-accepted dessert throughout all my social circles, and it’s likely the same for you. That’s why you need to know this recipe, so that you can whip up what people have called ‘literally the best brownie I’ve ever eaten’ and ‘so good and I’m not just saying that because I’m drunk’. 

Getting down to business 

Turn your oven on to 180° C. No, do it now, not right before you shove your brownies in. Good. 

So, now we take our chocolate (200g, dark) and butter (150g, unsalted), and we melt them up together. You can do that in a bowl in the microwave, zapping it for 30 seconds at a time and stirring in between. Alternatively, if you’re feeling fancy or just scared of somehow exploding the chocolate all over your microwave, pop it in a pot on the stove and stir it over low heat. When it’s all liquid, you’re set. Let it cool while you do the next bit. 

Grab a bowl, or a large cup. Whatever, really. Pour some flour (80g) and some cocoa (11g or 2 tablespoons) into it and add a pinch of salt. Leave it. 

Now, here’s where you learn why brownies taste so good. You need to put a whole tonne of sugar in a nice big bowl: specifically, 50g of brown sugar and 150g of normal sugar, be it caster, raw or plain white sugar. If you really can’t be bothered buying brown sugar, just add, like, 75g extra of normal sugar instead. You’ll be fine. 

Pour the melted chocolate over your lovely mound of glittering sugar crystals and stir till it feels it’s all mixed in. 

Chuck in 3 eggs, vanilla essence (1 teaspoon) if you have it, and your dry ingredients. If you want them to be super delicious, add some chocolate chips (or M&Ms – or nuts – or whatever you think is tasty, really) and stir them in. 

Pour the whole gooey lot into a pan and shove in the oven until a knife comes out clean when you stab the centre (about 30 minutes). If you want them really soft and fudgy, take them out when the knife comes out with just a weensy bit of batter mix sticking to it (more like 25 minutes, for this). 

Devour. They’re delicious warm and fresh, and adding ice cream makes them even better. If you – somehow – have any left over after a few days, pop one in a blender with a scoop of ice cream and some milk. Voila! If you put another brownie on top of your glass, you’ve got your very own tiny freakshake. 

Ingredients

- 200g or 1 cup dark chocolate 

- 150g or ½ cup unsalted butter (if all you have is salted, use that instead and don’t add any extra salt!)

- 80g or ½ cup + 2 tablespoons plain flour

- 11g or 2 tablespoons cocoa (you generally have two choices here: home brand or Cadbury’s Bourneville cocoa)

- Lil bit of salt (about ¼ teaspoon)

- 50g or ¼ cup brown sugar

- 150g or ¾ cup raw sugar (or white, or caster)

- 3 eggs 

- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (but don’t worry if you don’t have it)

- 1 cup of whatever you wanna chuck in: choc chips, nuts, etc (optional)

TL:DR: 

1. Melt chocolate and butter together.

2. Pour chocolate mixture over sugars combined in bowl. Mix.

3. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix.

4. Add flour, cocoa and salt. Mix.

5. Add your add-ins. Mix.

6. Pop it in a pan and bake.