Chocolate Brownies with cherry and walnut by Gary Maclean
These indulgent brownies have just the right amount of squidge. You can leave out the walnuts if you like but please not the cherries – they’re the perfect complement to the rich, dark chocolate.
- 250g chocolate, 70% cocoa
- 250g butter
- 300g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 60g plain flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 60g cocoa powder
- 100g walnuts, optional
- 100g dried sour cherries
- Pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C, and line a 23 cm x 23 cm baking tin with baking parchment.
- Set a bowl over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water, and add 200g of the chocolate, broken into pieces. Allow to melt, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat immediately.
- Meanwhile, beat the butter and sugar together in a food processor until light and fluffy, and break the rest of the chocolate into chips.
- With the mixer still running, gradually add the eggs and the egg yolk, beating well between each addition to ensure they’re thoroughly incorporated before pouring in any more. Leave mixing on a high speed for five minutes until the mix has a silky sheen, and has increased in volume.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and gently fold in the melted chocolate and chocolate chips with a metal spoon, followed by the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, walnuts and sour cherries.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin, and bake for 30 minutes. Test with a metal skewer; it should come out sticky, but not coated with raw mixture.
- If it does, put it back into the oven for another 3 minutes, then test again.
- When the brownies are ready, remove the tin from the oven.
- Leave to cool for an hour before cutting into squares.