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Ingredients

Chocolate and Pecan Brownies

The brownie is one of America’s great gifts to the world. Recipe from Sophie Grigson's The First Time Cook. Published by Collins.

Method

Preheat the oven to170c/325F/Gas Mark 3. Base-line a 20cm (8”) square shallow baking tin.

Put the chocolate and the butter into a bowl and melt gently over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir in the two sugars and the vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the flour, salt and the pecans. Don’t overdo the mixing. Oddly, but successfully, a brownie batter is better if it is a little unevenly mixed. And you really don’t want to get too much air into the mixture. Think fudgy all the way.

Scrape into the prepared tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25-35 minutes until set but not solid. Cool in the tin, then cut into squares. Store in an airtight tin those squares that are not gobbled up within the next hour.
To turn your latest batch of brownies into a highly fashionable and wicked pudding, pile a couple of still warm squares of brownie onto each person’s plate, or into bowls. Top with a scoop of ice cream, and spoon over some freshly made raspberry sauce (rub fresh or thawed frozen raspberries through a sieve, stir in a good squeeze of lemon juice and sifted icing sugar to taste). Top with a few whole raspberries and hand round.

More information

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