Jamie Oliver’s Chocolate Brownies

My copy of Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals is battered and stained from years of use, the cover has come away from the binding (and is even a little burnt, whoops!), the pages are well thumbed and splattered… surely the biggest compliment that can be given about a recipe book. One of the most frequently made recipes from this book is the chocolate brownies. I generally have all the ingredients in my cupboards, so these brownies are a breeze to knock up and I’ve omitted a few of the finishing touches, to make them even easier and quicker than the original version. Stir in cranberries or chopped dried apricots at the same time as the chocolate and ginger for added flavours and interest. You can find Jamie’s original recipe here.

Makes 12, cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients 

250g unsalted butter, softened

200g caster sugar

6 level tbsp cocoa powder

4 heaped tbsp (gluten free) self-raising flour

200g dark chocolate

3 balls of stem ginger

4 eggs

Method

• Heat oven to 180 degrees. Into a food mixer put the butter (cut into small pieces), sugar, cocoa powder, flour and a pinch of salt. Process until combined. 

• Crack in the eggs and whizz again. 

• Roughly chop and break the chocolate into small chunks and cut the stem ginger into little pieces too. Stir the chocolate and the ginger into the mixture.

• Scrunch and wet a piece of greaseproof paper then flatten it to line a baking tray and drizzle it with a little oil.

• Spread the brownie mixture into the tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. (The original recipe states 12 - 14 minutes but I find mine take longer. Perhaps my baking tray is smaller. Check on them after 12 minutes and see how yours are doing - a knife into the centre should come out with just a few crumbs clinging to it).

• Remove from the oven and stand the tray on a wire rack for five minutes before lifting the brownies in their baking paper out of the tray and onto the wire rack for a further ten minutes before cutting into squares.