Chocolate fudge brownies. Need we say more?
So it’s that point in January where you’ve eaten your body weight in plum pudding and never want to see another mince tart again. Or for at least a few days. For most people that also means it’s time for the New Year detox to kick in – and in particular for Australians to actually start eating the sort of food you SHOULD eat in summer, rather than borrowing festive fare from our northern hemisphere friends.
And I was all over this bandwagon until I had a dinner party for some friends and planned to make a pavlova. But alas, the weather gods were not smiling on me, and Sydney was copped with a month’s worth of rain in less than two days. Anyone who has tried to make meringue in humidity will know that it’s like a Kardashian marriage: destined for failure. I had a bunch of eggs, caster sugar and berries ready to go, so I had a quick regroup and decided to make these brownies instead. Although they also require beaten eggs, the key word is ‘lightly’ – just until white and frothy, rather than the stiff peaks you need for a pavlova.
Everyone has a different ideal when it comes to brownies, but texture is always paramount – these are your classic chewy type, with a slightly fudgy centre. Depending on how you’re feeling, you can add some chopped walnuts or chocolate chips to the mix to spice things up a bit, but all they really need is a dusting of icing sugar to make them look ‘noice, different, unyoosual’. In this instance, I served with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream – granted not quite as visually impressive as a pavlova, but it’s chocolate, and you never get any complaints with chocolate now, do you?!
Obviously these aren’t as healthy as my sugar-free version, but as far as treats go they’re not TOO bad for you. Sometimes I make them with cacao instead of cocoa to make me feel positively virtuous.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa or cacao
- 3/4 cup plain flour
- 1/2 cup self-raising flour
- 4 egg whites, beaten lightly
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
- Grease a 19cm x 29cm slice pan and line the base and two opposite sides with baking paper.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the sifted cocoa and flour, then mix through the egg whites, stirring as little as possible.
- Spread the mixture into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until firm. Cover loosely with foil halfway through cooking if over-browning.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.