Weekend Recipe: Eric Lanlard’s Devilish chocolate brownies

I know there are plenty of brownie recipes around, but this is my favourite dark
chocolate version, and, of course, you can add nuts or dried fruits if you like.
Remember, don’t overcook them.

Makes 16
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

200g (7oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150g (5oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
150g (5oz) golden caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
75g (3oz) plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C)/350°F/gas mark 4.
Grease a 19cm (7½in) square shallow baking tin and line the
base with baking paper.

Melt the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla together in a
heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water,
making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then leave to cool for
a few minutes.

Beat in the eggs, then sift in the fl our, cocoa and salt and fold in
until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake in
the oven for 25 minutes, or until the top starts to crack but the
centre remains gooey. Turn off the oven and leave the brownies
inside for a further 5 minutes before removing. Leave to cool
completely in the tin.

Cut the brownies into 16 small squares and remove from the tin.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Recipe taken from Totally Chocolate, available here