Brownies

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (fan). Line a 20x20 cm square tin with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together, either over a water bath or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring until smooth.
3. Whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt over the mixture. Fold in with a spatula until just combined, with no visible flour streaks.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a skewer comes out with wet batter clinging to it, not clean, and the centre still jiggles slightly.
6. Let cool completely in the tin, at least 30 minutes, before lifting out and cutting into squares.

Notes

• Pull the tin from the oven while the centre still looks underdone. Brownies continue cooking from residual heat as they cool; a tin left in until a skewer comes out fully clean will be dry and cakey once cooled, not fudgy.
• Melt the chocolate and butter rather than creaming butter and sugar. This is the key structural difference between a cakey brownie and a dense, fudgy one; the melted-fat method gives a denser, moister crumb.
• Let it cool fully before cutting. A warm brownie is too soft to cut cleanly and will smear; a fully cooled one cuts into neat squares.
• It keeps for 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container, and freezes well for months.

Ingredient substitutions

• Dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa gives the best depth; milk chocolate makes a sweeter, softer-set brownie.
• A handful of chopped walnuts or pecans folded in is a classic addition.
• A swirl of peanut butter or caramel on top before baking is a good variation.