T is for Triple Choc Brownie

Talk about 'two birds, one stone' - last night we went to our friends' house for dinner so I decided to make a triple chocolate brownie. What do you know? I'm up to the letter T for my A-Z baking challenge blog! 

The three choc sources in this brownie are: dark choc, white choc & cocoa. It makes for a rich, indulgent brownie - packed full of chocolatey goodness.  Now, I would recommend using a good quality chocolate for this. I went with 70% dark choc & then a Lindt extra silky white choc.  For the cocoa, I had some unsweetened, good quality cocoa on hand from the whiskey & chocolate bundt cake I made my husband for his birthday - so again, try to use good quality cocoa if you can - it'll make all the difference to the taste. 

I've never had much luck with brownies for some reason - I find it hard to judge the point at which it is cooked & yet still a bit gooey in the middle, if you know what I mean. As a result, I always tend to overcook brownies - so, I tried my best with this one not to do that. I left it in the oven for around eight minutes longer than the suggested 20, which I think was a touch too long. So, just bear that in mind when you make this. Keep a watchful eye on the brownie once it's been in the oven for 20 mins, because the other thing that can happen is the white choc can turn dark brown very quickly.

On to the recipe!

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate

100 g unsalted butter (room temperature)

225g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

60g plain flour

60g unsweetened cocoa powder

100g white chocolate

Baking tin: 23cm square brownie tin or similar. Sprayed first with cooking spray & fully lined with non-stick baking paper.

What to do

1. Take your butter out of the fridge, measure & cut into thin slices. Leave aside to warm to room temp. If it's not soft enough by the time you need to use it, just zap it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds at a time & stir until it is soft but not melted.
2. Prepare your baking tin. Set aside.
3. Pre-heat your oven to 180C static or 160C fanbake.
4. Roughly chop the dark chocolate & place in a microwave proof bowl. Zap for short bursts of 30 seconds for a start - stirring in between each zap. Once the choc starts to melt, shorten each burst to 15-20 seconds. The important thing, is to avoid burning the chocolate, which can happen in the blink of an eye if you're not careful. So ensure you stir the choc in between zaps, which will help it melt. Once the choc has melted, set it aside.
5. Place softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a metal bowl and beat with a hand held electric beater (or free standing if you prefer - or by hand if you've got the energy!). Beat until pale & fluffy. Add each egg, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. By the end, you should have a thick, creamy mixture. 
6. Pour the melted choc into the creamed mixture & stir to combine.
7. Sift the flour and cocoa directly into the chocolate mix & stir to combine.
8. Pour mix into your baking tin & level the top with a palette or butter knife. 
9. Roughly chop the white choc & sprinkle evenly over the top of the brownie.
   
10. Bake for around 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the brownie comes out slightly moist but not sticky with uncooked batter. Set aside in the tin to cool completely.
11. Once brownie has cooled completely, remove from the tin, carefully remove the baking paper & then cut into pieces. 

Store the brownie in an airtight container & eat within four days (if it lasts that long!)

I'm a big fan of eating choc brownie while it's warm, so re-heat for 20 seconds or so in the microwave first. Great as a dessert or as a indulgent treat for afternoon tea!

Enjoy x