At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, I would claim these to be among the best brownies you can eat. I would be be so proud to serve these to anyone….if I don’t eat them first!
Qualities I crave in a brownie are:
- intensely chocolatey
- chewy and gooey!
- a slightly crisp top
- packed with interest (nuts and Kirsch-soaked cherries here)
And I think these brownies tick those boxes!
Brownies are very quick and simple to make, with a mixture that is so versatile that you can add all manner of goodies to the basic brownie mix eg) replace the nuts with dried fruit or crushed biscuits……..
I use a recipe that I have had for decades, although I do tweak it from time to time, sometimes making it gluten-free but sometimes not. I sometimes shake it up a bit and use different chocolates: favourites include chilli chocolate, smoked chocolate, Ruby chocolate….
A vegan version:
I have also made a successful vegan version of these, replacing the butter with a mixture of vegetable oil and walnut oil, and even on a few occasions using all olive oil. I also use vegan chocolate and omit the eggs.
In place of the eggs I add 50ml water and an extra teaspoon of baking powder, which gave enough of a rise and a very nice level of gooeyness.
Recipe: cherry & chocolate brownies
Main brownie mixture:
- 180g unsalted butter
- 170g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into smallish chunks (or use chocolate chips)
- 60g plain flour
- 40g cocoa powder
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder
- 1 level teaspoon fine sea salt
- 250g golden caster sugar
- 3 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon best quality vanilla extract
Added goodies*:
- 100g dried sour cherries, chopped roughly – ideally soaked in rum, Kirsch or Amaretto overnight or for a few days
- 60g chopped nuts of choice (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts…..)
*you can vary these with whatever you want to include, going for about 160g in total
(1) Preheat the oven to 160C(fan).
(2) Melt the butter and half the chocolate together in a small bowl, either over a pan of barely simmering water or in short bursts in the microwave (10-15 seconds at a time, wait a little, then repeat: once the butter has heated up and melted, you can stir the chocolate and it will melt quickly).
(3) Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt.
(4) Pour in the melted chocolate mixture, the eggs and the “added goodies”, and stir to incorporate fully. Stir in the rest of the chocolate.
(5) Pour into a rectangular tin, lined with greaseproof (I used a 30cm by 20cm tin). Bake for 20-22 minutes: it will have a nice crust but should feel soft underneath. If it wobbles, it is not cooked enough; in which case bake for a few more minutes – just until there is no wobble.
NB: if you use a larger tin, giving a thinner depth of mixture, reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes.
(6) Leave to cool fully in the tin before slicing.
Phil's Home Kitchen 
I need to know more about this smoked chocolate of which you speak!!! (Awesome recipe btw!)
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oh it is a fab ingredient. I bought some a few weeks back at a food market stall (never seen it before!) but it is so easy to smoke it in a BBQ with wood chippings and the like.
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