Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Everyone loves brownies, and if you don't, you just haven't tasted a good one yet! I've been using this recipe ever since I've been baking, which is a good few years now. Sometimes, admittedly brownies can be a bit stodgy and sickly, which is why I absolutely adore this recipe from my 'Grandma's Best Recipes' cookbook. The brownies are more like mini chocolatey cake bites, packed with chunks of gooey chocolate. If you have a friend or relative who's a huge chocoholic, then these would make the most perfect gift. Or you can just eat them yourself...

This recipe makes around 15 brownies, depending on how big you like them. The recipe says to add pistachios, but I usually change this for some walnuts when I have some in the house. This batch were a 'nut-free' lot- I simply exchanged the pistachios for some milk chocolate chunks. This recipe is my adapted version of the original.

Makes: 15     Time: 50 minutes (15 minutes prep, up to 35 minutes baking)

Ingredients:

225g baking spread or margarine
150g plain chocolate (broken into pieces)
225g self-raising flour
125g caster sugar
4 eggs
50g plain chocolate (cut into chunks)
150g milk chocolate (cut into chunks)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, then grease and line a baking tin (I just used a roasting tin we had spare).

2. Place the 150g plain chocolate and the margarine in a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water. Keep stirring until it's all melted together, then put to one side to cool.

3. Sift the flour into a separate bowl, then stir in the caster sugar.

4. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and mix in well. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and beat. Fold in the chocolate chunks, then pour the mixture into the baking tin, making sure it's spread evenly.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, then leave to cool for another 20 minutes. When cool enough, transfer onto a wire rack and cut into brownie-sized pieces.

6. Eat them all and enjoy!

These brownies are great to enjoy on their own, or heated up and served with ice cream and berries for a temptingly delicious pudding. When stored in a tin, they'll last up to a week, provided they haven't vanished before then!

 Do you have a tried and tested brownie recipe?