Geek N’ Bake: OMG Brownies!!!
Listen you might be wondering what Brownies have to go with geeks or even geeky food but they are an essential even staple corner of the snack pyramid.
Gooey or cakey! Dark or sweet! Hot or cold!
These delicious squares of chocolate heaven are simple and quick and if you fancy showing off then you can add fillings or toppings to sweeten the deal! So what brought on this longing? Well my recent binge of American Dad reminded me of the time Francine bribed some scientists with brownies and in all honesty, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for a brownie!
DIFFICULTY
Easy
TIME
15 minutes to prep // 20 minutes to cook
INGREDIENTS
2 medium egg beaten, 1/2 cup of softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1/2 tsp baking powder
Frosting:
2 tbsp softened butter, 1 tbsp nutella, 1 tbsp icing sugar, 1 tbsp honey
PROCESS
As always start by preheating your oven, if you can set your temperature digitally then pop it in 175C but if like me you’re stuck with the most non-descriptive temperature knob in the world then aim for about 180C and peel it back slightly.
Now before we go any further, take a look back at the ingredients listed above and you might notice that I’m using cups instead of grams and that’s simply because all the best brownie recipes I’ve ever used and experimented with have come from US cooks.
So if you haven’t got these handy little cup/spoon measures like these then you can pop out and pick some up from most homestores or euro shops. Failing that use a conversion website for fairly good estimates on weights.
Now to begin with start by greasing your baking tray/dish with a little butter. I used an 8×8 dish and this produce nine decently sized brownies. Then in a mixing bowl combine the sugar and beating them together until they’ve mixed thoroughly. Then add all of your dry ingredients!
Wait! Don’t you usually add the eggs at this point? All in good time, go against the standard recipe this time, trust me it’s totally worth it!
Once you’ve beaten your ingredients together, you should have what looks like a deliciously chocolate paste. Now go ahead and add the lightly beaten eggs to the bowl and stir into the ingredients gently until fully combined. If you’re using the cup measures you should have a pourable chocolate batter in a bowl but if it’s looking a little too dry add a little milk to help wet the ingredients or if on the other hand it’s looking too runny add a little extra cocoa powder and plain flour to bring it together.
Pour into the greased dish and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes depending on how you like you brownies. I prefer mine gooey to the touch so I pull them out on the 20min button but for a cakier texture give them the extra five minutes.
Mean while in seperate bowl, let’s prepare your chocolate frosting!
Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix together until fully combined. I ended up with a few tiny clumps of icing sugar in mine so it took a little longer to get them worked out. To avoid this pitfall, sieve the icing sugar beforehand and it will prevent clumps forming in the frosting. Once fully mixed, set to one side.
Your brownies should be done so remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wirerack. After about 15 minutes, the brownies should be cool enough for you to spread the frosting but still warm enough that when you do add the chocolate mix it’s easily spread. Use a plastic or rubbed spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then place in the fridge to set.
After about 45 – 60 minutes, the brownies will have set and can be served. Using a cake knife cut into 9 equal squares. Now I like my brownie cold and dolloped with a little icecream to cut through the chocolate but if you want to reheat yours, pop it in the microwave on a high temperature setting for about 20-25 seconds. Then add a spoon of whipped cream or icecream, dust with a little icing sugar and cocoa powder and serve!
All of this too much work? Want your brownie and want to eat it now?! Try my Speedrun Brownies so for the chocolate snack that won’t have you slaving in the kitchen!
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
