The Only Brownie Recipe you will ever need! (Raspberry & Toffee Brownies)

I have been blogging for a long time and at one point it was almost an obsession. But blogging was easy because I loved everything to do with what I was blogging about - baking.

I still enjoy baking and I still love reading cookbooks - it's why you still see quite a few book reviews on here - I even enjoy writing and taking photos, but my life now has limited extra time for those things, I have different priorities, hence why my frequency of posts has dropped so dramatically.

The one thing I don't enjoy is the stress and anxiety of social media. So, I have found a platform I enjoy (instagram) and use it as and when I get an opportunity I go on twitter and facebook and update things, but I no longer stress about how many likes or retweets I get.

I was asked once why I blogged and I answered mostly for me. And for my love for baking, reading, writing, photography etc.... blogging was and is my creative outlet and if I get a few loyal readers or lots of people dropping by great! But it's not why I blog.

The internet is a hard place to live in and understand.

These brownies are a recipe that I have tried and tested over and over again and thankfully aren't that hard to understand. I originally got this recipe from a BBC Good Food Magazine and the other day I opened up one of their issues and it was in there again, because it is literally that easy and good.

It has been adjusted over and over and to be honest this batch of brownies I couldn't even tell you what I put in them exactly. I just sort of threw it all together. But if you want to throw a batch together this is how you could do it.

Brownies: raspberry & toffee

200g dark chocolate chips
100g milk chocolate chips
250g salted butter
250g light brown sugar
150g dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
140g plain flour
45g cocoa powder
10g espesso powder
100g fresh raspberries
100g toffee, chopped

Preheat oven to 180C/gas4 and line a brownie pan or 8in square pan with parchment paper.
Very gently melt both chocolates with the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan. Just before the chocolate is completely melted, take off the heat and gently stir until it’s completely melted.
Then add the eggs one at a time to the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder into the pan and stir until just combined.
Gently fold about half of the raspberries and toffee into the mixture, pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining raspberries and toffee over the top.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for a minimum of 35 minutes. If you are using the 8 inch square pan you may want to give them an extra 5 minutes, if you are using a brownie pan or a 9 inch pan then I would still closer to the 35 minutes.
Cool completely before cutting into squares and eating!

As mentioned the original recipe was not mine own, however this recipe only resembles the original, as was modified to fit what was in my cupboards! 

If try these out let me know how you adjust them in the comments below, I am always looking for ways to make the different! 

Here are a few of the adjustments I have made over the years: (Each one is linked to the relevant post if you want to see pictures!)

Oreo Brownies

Snickers Brownies

Bribe Worthy Brownies

Peanut Butter Brownies

Nutella Brownies

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ferrero Rocher Brownies

OMG right? 

I have to admit that these were not of my creation, but come from a creative youtuber Cupcake Jemma. I love watching her videos and if you haven't before you should start with the video I have linked below! These brownies again wouldn't have been my first choice as I am not a fan of hazelnuts. They aren't terrible, just not a huge fan. 

However, my baby baker, not a baby any more having celebrated her 8th birthday last week, likes them and loves Nutella even more. Something I discussed a few posts ago when I made Nutella brownies and since I only just made them I couldn't make them again. 

So, on the hunt for what else I could make her I came across great recipes featuring Nutella like 

Nutella Bueno Cupcakes from The Baking Explorer and an Ultimate Chocolate and Nutella layer cake from supergolden bakes and I also came across a No-bake Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake from What Jessica Baked Next. It was this last one that made me think of Ferrero Rochers and went on another hunt before coming across these brownies from Cupcake Jemma. 

They turned out beautifully (please ignore my cracked ganache) and were loved by all who tried them! If you'd like to have a go I have listed the ingredients you will need, watch the video for instructions and I made some notes on what I did differently below it. Enjoy!! 

Ferrero Rocher Brownies

2 small eggs

165g caster sugar

80g dark chocolate

80g unsalted butter

25g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

30g chopped roasted hazelnuts

Nutella Nougat

25g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

30ml evaporated milk

40g nutella

100g marshmallow fluff

60g chopped roasted hazelnuts

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

for the topping

75g double cream

75g dark chocolate

8 or more Ferrero Rocher

There were a few things I changed to suit my needs: first I made them in a 7inch circle cake tin as I wanted it to be cake like for my daughters birthday. Because of this I cooked it for 25 minutes instead of the 15-20 that she suggests in the video. However, that could be because of my oven so if you too are making them in a round tin then check them at 15 minutes. 

Second I didn't pipe more Nutella in the nougat. Just an extra step I couldn't be bothered with, but would totally be worth it if you are a Nutella fan! 

Third I didn't decorate with more hazelnuts and gold lustre although I wish I had as my ganache cracked a bit. That was only because I was impatient and didn't let it all sit before taking it out of the tin. 

*Want to see more of Cupcake Jemma's delicious treats? Follow the video above or visit her website here. 

Nutella Brownies

There is a hashtag that exists in the social media world that allows people to express their unpopular opinion. The hashtag is #unpopularopinion - surprise!

And once a blue moon ago I used this hashtag to express my unpopular opinion on Nutella. I don't like it. I don't like praline either or hazelnuts in general. There were others who agreed with me, but mostly I had distain! How could I not like Nutella? And I get it I mean I don't understand how people can't like peanut butter. But those people do exist! 

Then why have I made Nutella Brownies I can see you asking!! Because I have a 7 year-old who loves the stuff and if I let her would eat it every day for breakfast lunch and dinner. And since I love her so much I obliged. 

Sometimes when a new year starts I think of one word I would like to sort of vaguely define my year to come and I think oblige should be that word. Not in the binding legal way, but in the do someone a favor or assist them or meet the wants/needs of someone else. And also not in a compromising my own beliefs and values and stuff way ya know.... spreading more love one disgusting Nutella Brownie at a time!

(Note, I am only one of few who didn't like these. The said seven year old loved them, my neighbors,  and Santa enjoyed them too. And if you like Nutella then you will probably love them as well.)

Nutella Brownies

300g semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 300g mixed milk/dark chocolate)
250g salted butter
400g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
140g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
200g Nutella

Preheat oven to 180C/gas4 and line a brownie pan or an 8in square pan with parchment paper.
Very gently melt the chocolate with the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan. Just before the chocolate is completely melted, take off the heat and gently stir until it’s completely melted.
Then add the eggs one at a time to the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the pot and stir until just combined.
Pour into the prepared pan and dot the Nutella over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Nutella through the batter. Bake in the pre-heated oven for a minimum of 35 minutes. Depending on your pan size and oven add an extra five minutes if need be. Cool before cutting into squares and sharing with loved ones or if you are a Nutella lover keeping them all for yourself!

 Just like this! 

Brownie batter is so shiny and pretty.

Then after baking they look like this: brown squares that are hard to photograph. I try. 

One Pot Peanut Butter Brownies

When I first moved to the UK when I talked about peanut butter people were like "eww." It was rare for me to come across a single soul who loved peanut butter as much as me. Then I start this new job and I have at minimum 4 co-workers who absolutely love peanut butter.

The fact they love it as much as I do gives me the perfect excuse to bake with peanut butter. Since we've had a bit of a stressful time of it the last couple of weeks I thought I'd do just that. What goes well with peanut butter? Chocolate! It is my strong opinion that the best baked chocolate treat is the brownie.

I have made a lot of batches of brownies in my baking career and I always come back to this recipe. They are super easy to make as they are made in one pot or saucepan if you want to be pedantic. I generally keep the ingredients in my cupboards for brownie making emergencies! Brownies solve a lot of problems. It's true.

So, if you have problems that need to be solved or co-workers who love peanut butter make these!!

Peanut Butter Brownies

150g dark chocolate, broken up
150g milk chocolate, broken up
250g salted butter
400g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
140g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
150g smooth peanut butter

Preheat oven to 180C/gas4 and line a brownie pan or an 8in square pan with parchment paper.
Very gently melt both chocolates with the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan. Just before the chocolate is completely melted, take off the heat and gently stir until it’s completely melted.
Then add the eggs one at a time to the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the pan and stir until just combined.
Pour into the prepared pan and dot the peanut butter over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the peanut butter through the batter. Bake in the pre-heated oven for a minimum of 35 minutes. Depending on your pan size and oven add an extra five minutes if need be. Cool before cutting into squares and sharing with friends, family, and co-workers!

The Traveling Oreo Brownies

Summer finally arrived and then it went again just like that. Luckily before it went my friend and I made a trip to London to visit the Tate Modern when it was still sunny. It is my favorite museum in all of London, because to me modern art is the most expressive and interesting. Don't get me wrong, my university professor Kyle Crocker taught me to appreciate all art in all it's forms, but I like art that says something even if I don't agree with what it's saying.

I have been to the Tate Modern many times and there is always something new to see! There are always new exhibitions, but the art that has been there since it's opened is different every time I see it. It's like a book or a movie that speaks to you differently at different points in your life.

However, this time there was actually something new to see! The Switch House has been rebuilt with a 10 story tower and loads of more gallery space. As we were exploring this new space we must have looked a bit lost because a security guard stopped us and asked if she could help. She asked if we had been to the 10th floor yet, we hadn't. She instructed us to go up there right away and to come back and tell her what we thought after we'd seen the view.

Of course it was amazing, London always looks amazing from the sky. Here at the Tate the view is free and you can go whenever you want! The Shard and London Eye charge for the view and where the Sky Garden is gorgeous and free you have to plan the trip in advance and book tickets.

To make our trip even more cost effective we packed our own lunches. Neither of us were interested in playing the game of where to eat. It's a game we both despise. So, to accompany us on our day out I made my favorite brownie recipe and added some chocolate creme Oreos to them, because when you are going for chocolate you might as well go all out right?

They were great and added the sugar boost we needed after an an exhausting day of being cultured!

Chocolate Creme Oreo Brownies

100g dark chocolate, broken up
200g milk chocolate, broken up
250g salted butter
400g light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
140g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 pkg (154g) chocolate creme Oreos

Preheat oven to 180C/gas4 and line a 9in square pan/tin with parchment paper. Line approximately 9 Oreos on the bottom. I didn't want mine touching so spaced them out a bit. But line them up however you want! Crush the remaining Oreos until they are crumbs of varying sizes.
Very gently melt both chocolates with the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan. Just before the chocolate is completely melted, take off the heat and gently stir until it’s completely melted.
Then add the eggs one at a time to the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the pan and stir until just combined. Stir in about half of the Oreo crumbs.
Gently pour the mixture over the Oreos and sprinkle the rest of the crumbs over the top before baking in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes.
I suggest baking them until more firm if you are taking them on a picnic, less if you want a gooey brownie.

Oh, and we did see the security guard again in another gallery and we told her how very impressed we were with the view! The piece of art that spoke to me this visit: Ibrahim El-Salahi 'Reborn Sounds of Childhood Dreams I' 1961–5

Tate Modern: Bankside, London, SE, United Kingdom

notes: this post is not sponsored in anyway by either the Tate Modren nor Oreo people for more information please see my contact/policy page! Recipe is adapted from Bakes & Cakes Magazine Summer 2013 (BBC Good Food Mag).
Other brownies I made using variations of this recipe: Snicker Stuffed Brownies, Twix Brownies, and Chocolate Chip Brownies!

Aduki Bean Brownie Bites from Superfoods 24/7 by Jessica Nadel {book review}

When I was offered to review Superfoods 24/7: Delicious Recipes for Superfoods at Every Meal I said "No thank you." Mainly because I was judging it by it's cover and didn't think it would be a good fit for my blog.

The lovely publisher's PR lady suggested I take a look anyway because she really felt it would be a good fit, especially if I liked Whole Food Energy. So, I agreed and I'm glad I did.

Starting with all the facts on the superfoods as well as giving some basic skill information, the author Jessica Nadel, gives us suggested meal plans consisting of breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert.

We are then given mouth watering recipes for Smoothies and Breakfasts, Salads and Soups, Sides and Small Bites, Main Meals, followed by Cakes and Desserts which I have to say has many tempting recipes! I'm not going to lie I went straight to that last chapter before reading the others. I knew pretty much right away I wanted to try the Adzuki Bean Brownies. 

There was a little research involved because I couldn't find adzuki beans and realised they are the same as aduki beans which I could find. The brownies turned out really fudgey and as it uses coconut oil and cinnamon taste of coconut and a hint of cinnamon. In my opinion that's a good thing. I was a little dubious using flaxseed "eggs," but I didn't need to worry. 

The only thing I had to adjust was the cooking time. It says to bake for 10-12 minutes, but after 12 minutes they were still very much a liquid. The edges had barely started to bake. So, I left them in for another 12 minutes before taking them out and leaving to cool. They were still so gooey they couldn't be put on a cooling rack, so I placed them on a plate and put it in the fridge to cool. Also you might want to make the Flax Egg before starting with everything else. 

Aduki Bean Brownie Bites

1x400g or 410g can of aduki beans, drained and rinsed

40g cocoa powder

25g ground walnuts

60ml coconut oil, melted

100g coconut sugar

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 flax eggs (see below)

Heat the oven to 180C - very lightly grease a 24-hole mini cupcake pan. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes until everything is combined and smooth. Scrape down the bowl when necessary. Each 'hole' will take a heaped tablespoon of batter. Bake for 12-24 minutes. Leave to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a plate and putting them in the fridge to cool. 

Flax Egg: for 2 eggs as there recipe calls for

2 tablespoons of ground or milled flaxseed

6 tablespoons of water

Mix together and leave to stand for a minimum of 10 minutes. The mixture should go gloopy like an egg. Give it a stir before adding to the food processor.  

Before I go here are 4 recipes I can't wait to try out:

Udon Soup with Broccoli, Kale, and Sweet Potato

Quinoa Sushi Hand Rolls

Sundried Tomato and Coconut Quinoa Burgers

Minty Matcha Nanaimo Bars

notes: Superfoods 24/7: Delicious Recipes for Superfoods at Every Meal by Jessica Nadel was sent to me to review by the UK publishers; Apple Press - Available online, from the publishers, and from all good booksellers now! No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own please see my contact/policy page for more information. 

Most Expensive Brownies Ever {aka Amazing Brownies}

With a title like that you may be thinking that these brownies are made with gold or silver. Close, but no they are made with raw coconut oil, coconut sugar, ground almonds, and avocado.

All those ingredients are a little on the pricey side. Now before I made these I had a few questions.

First, do I spend the extra money on trying them out? Second, will they be as good as promised therefore making them worth the effort and the money? And third, what the heck is coconut oil?

The answers? Clearly I decided that I would dish out the cash to try them out and yes they are as good as promised and worth the effort and money. And coconut oil is a substance that has many uses. You can eat it, but it’s also a great way to keep your hair and skin healthy. Apparently. Who knew, right?

The brownies are expensive to make therefore I wouldn't be making these everyday however for a special almost healthy treat I would totally make these again. They are also a great way for those who gluten intolerant. To make it dairy free use dairy free dark chocolate!

Expensive Brownies:

100g coconut oil

300g dark chocolate

290g coconut sugar/nectar

100g ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

1 avocado, smooshed

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

Heat the oven to 180C and line an 8 in/20 cm square pan with greaseproof paper. Melt the coconut oil and chocolate together in a large saucepan. Take it off the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding in the rest of the ingredients. It does make it easier if you gently beat the eggs and vanilla together before adding in. Fold it all together until just combined. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 26-30 minutes. The less you cook them the gooeier they are and the more you cook them the more cake like they are. These need to be cooked for a minimum of 26 minutes. The top should have a nice shine, but it will be a bit wobbly if shook. If you cook it for a little longer then it won’t be noticeably wobbly. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving up! You could top with yogurt, fruit, ice cream, crème fraiche, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce?

notes: recipe adapted from Love, Tanya by Tanya Burr. Please see previous post for the book review! I am complaining about the cost, it's just not every day I fork out 6 GBP for 1 ingredient (coconut oil) and the other ingredients aren't necessarily cheap either. Therefore these are the most expensive brownies I have every made! 

Christmas Chocolate Brownies

Christmas is the season for giving!

One of the easiest gifts to give is a box of chocolate. It’s an easy gift to bring to any party or for that awkward relative you only see at Christmas.

Sometimes you will be the one throwing the party and sometimes you will be the awkward relative and you will end up with a lot of boxes of chocolate.

There is only so many boxes of Celebrations, Roses, and Quality Streets that one person or even one family can consume.

The thing is you can’t even re-gift them because everyone has so many of them! Chocolate may be an easy gift to give, but also very easy to incorporate in baking! 

My favorite way to use up chocolates is in brownies. Especially the chocolates that you don’t like, because the flavors just sort of blend into the brownies. However, you still add in the good ones so you get a good surprise when you get a bite of your favorite, like a strawberry cream. Yum! 

I discovered a brownie recipe last summer and have used a variation of it since then. Here is one such variation! 

Christmas Chocolate Brownies

150g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

250g salted butter

400g light muscovado sugar

4 large eggs

140g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

200-250g leftover chocolate box chocolates, chopped up

Heat the oven to 180C. Line a brownie pan or 8 in square cake tin. Melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Once completely melted, whisk in the eggs one by one until completely incorporated. Then sift the flour and cocoa powder together and fold in. Pour in prepared pan and sprinkle the chopped up leftover chocolates on the top gently press them into the batter, but not so they sink completely in. Bake for 30-35 minutes depending on preference of gooeyness.

If brownies don’t appeal to you check out some of the other ways I have used up chocolate for different holidays:

Easter Chocolate Cupcakes

Halloween Rocky Road

Halloween Twix Brownies 

Twix Brownies or Not Leftover Halloween Chocolate Bar Brownies

Last Friday I talked about my favorite five chocolaty things and the number one thing on that list is brownies. Then my most viewed post last week was 'How to use up leftover Halloween Candy.'

So, today I thought I would combine them.

I made leftover Halloween chocolate bar brownies.

Technically the chocolate bars I used weren't leftovers, because Halloween hasn't happened yet. They are Halloween candy though because it they were on offer for a pound so you know….

Anyhow, I do enjoy a Twix bar from time to time, so I layered my baking tin with Twix’s and poured brownie batter on top.

Now for these brownies I used a box brownie mix. If you are against the use of box mixes then any brownie recipe will do. I have plenty here on my blog!

Yes, I am self promoting. If I don’t do it, who will?

If you bought a lot of different chocolate bars to give out and you end up with loads left or if you take the children trick or treating and have an abundance of chocolate bars then use those.

A variety of different chocolate bars would make for very interesting brownies. I like the Twix for the cookie/biscuit base; it feels sturdier somehow.

I am probably just talking trash/rubbish, but it’s how I feel.

Twix Brownies aka Halloween Chocolate Brownies

1 package of brownie mix

            plus an egg, vegetable or sunflower oil, and water or whatever it says on the

            box.

20-23 Twix fun size bars

Line the base of an 8x8 inch pan with baking paper, then layer the Twix or leftover chocolate bars on the bottom. Heat the oven to the recommended temperature on the box or by whatever recipe that is being used. Make the brownies according the box instructions. Carefully pour the brownie mixture on top of the chocolate bars and gently smooth with a spatula. Bake according to the time on the box or by the recipe. I may not sound very helpful, but depending on what types of boxed brownies are used then the temperatures and times can vary!

Be sure to cool completely in the pan, especially depending on what type of chocolate bars used. Some of them could be very gooey and ooey as they are on the bottom. So, no matter how much a warm brownie from the oven is tempting, be sure to allow them to cool to avoid unwanted mess!

 notes: For these brownies I used Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix, which can be found at Costco. Costco do not approve of this post nor do Twix; not because they don’t like it, but because they don’t know about it. I just thought you might like to know where I get the best boxed brownies from and that Twix are great! For more information see my contact/policy page. 

Five on Friday: Favorite Five Chocolaty Things

It’s the end of the National Chocolate Week and there have been a lot of chocolate stuff going on in London.

I wish I could tell you about all the fun I was having in there in London, but I wasn't there! 

So, from the comfort of my couch and laptop I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite chocolaty things for my Five on Friday.

1. Brownies

In the early days of my blog I was going to have a whole thing about my quest to find the best brownie recipe ever! Then I sorta stopped. However I have found my favorite brownie recipe and I haven’t used another one since. I wrote about them in the post Bribe Worthy Brownies (I still haven't taken my driver's test O_o ) and a look here for more brownie recipes!

2. Paul A. Young

He could secretly be made of chocolate. When I got to meet him briefly at last years Cake & Bake Show, he was super friendly and happy to answer any questions. I love his book and I love his shop(s). His book is full of amazing chocolate things and his store is filled with amazing chocolate treats! (His brownies are freakin’ amazing! If you want to know about my visit to his shop I wrote about here and if you want to know more about his book I wrote about it here and more about when I meet him look here!

3. Hotel Chocolat

They have great chocolate and the range of flavors and products is astounding! It is a bit pricey, but it’s part of why I think of it as such a treat! One time when I was pregnant I bought one of the Caramel Slabs and I hid it in the back of a cupboard so my husband didn't know about it because I didn't want to share and in 3 days I had finished the whole thing. So, unless he reads this he'll never know about it. 

4. Blackout Cake

I don’t ever think I ate anything so chocolaty and so rich as this cake. It is the cake that I found myself sneaking to the fridge with a fork to steal bites of it. Then when the cake looked a bit funny, due to the fork marks in it, I had to have a few more bites to even it out. Why I didn't just cut myself a slice is beyond me. More about the blackout cake here! 

5. Galaxy Ripples

I know I like high-end chocolate from places like Paul A. Young and mid-end chocolate from places like Hotel Chocolate, but there is something to be said about a Galaxy Ripple. I mean sometimes you just want a creamy chocolaty treat! These are my go to chocolate in times of need. 

A couple other things that almost made my list where:

Eric Lanlard’s book Chocolat:

&

Oatly Chocolate Oat Drink 

notes: Pictures are my own, except the Hotel Chocolate logo, it is from their website. All opinions are my own, no compensation was given for this post. Please see my contact/policy page for further information.