Brownies vs Blondies, Part I

This post is in two parts. I had intended it to be just one post, but I felt that both brownies and blondies deserved their own space.

Therefore, Part I is all about the delicious small, rich, chocolate morsel that is the Chocolate Brownie, and Part II will be about its lesser known cousin, the Blondie.

I don't know anyone who doesn't love a brownie, and I don't know anyone that doesn't love THIS brownie!
I have baked many a recipe over the years in my quest for the perfect brownie.There are so many out there, and all promise the same rich chocolatey squidgyness that you expect. In my experience however, not all of them do. I have followed recipes to the letter and they have been either too dry, or too wet. There is a fine line between squidgy and undercooked, and nobody wants a mouthful of raw cake.
These brownies that I am sharing with you, are for me, the best brownies EVER, and are the only ones that I have made since Lorraine Pascal showed them on her wonderful first series, Baking Made Easy. And that was 3 years ago.
No other recipe has tempted me since, and I have lost count  of the number of times it has been made. 
So, just what makes these brownies so amazing? They are incredibly rich, dense, fudgy, and never dry. Use the best quality chocolate you can buy for a really grown up treat, which is slightly bitter and not overly sweet. Only a small(ish) square (or two) is needed to satisfy a craving for something naughty! If you are making them for children, I would suggest using a dark chocolate with a lower percentage of cocoa solids, or using a combination of dark and milk chocolate, just to add a modicum of sweetness.
The original recipe includes Oreo cookies, for an additional hit of chocolate and crunch. Alternatively, add some chopped walnuts, chocolate chunks or dried sour cherries to ring the changes. I have made all of these variations, but more often than not, I like them just absolutely plain.

Chocolate Brownies
(adapted from Lorraine Pascal - Baking made Easy)

165g unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) broken into pieces
3 eggs, size medium
2 egg yolks, size medium
2tsp vanilla extract
165g soft brown sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate)
Pinch of salt
154g pack of Oreo biscuits, broken into pieces (optional)
Icing sugar, for dusting

20cm / 8 inch square baking tin

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 6, and grease and line the base and sides of the tin with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, remove from the heat and then add the chocolate. Let it stand for a short while until the chocolate is very soft and then stir until both ingredients are combined until smooth and glossy.
3. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla extract in a large bowl until they start to become light and fluffy. 
4. Next add the sugar a little at a time and whisk until the mixture is very thick and voluminous. I usually whisk it for about 5 minutes at a fast speed for it to reach this stage.
5. Pour in the chocolate mixture at the side of the bowl (to avoid knocking out all the air that has been incorporated), again bit by bit, and whisk in until the mixture is uniform in colour.
6. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt and fold in until completely mixed in.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. In my oven it takes 25 minutes for the brownie to be cooked but still a little gooey in the middle. I use a skewer inserted into its centre to test if it is done. I find that after 25 minutes the skewer comes out clean, so I know that the brownie is cooked, but still squidgy. If you find that there is quite a bit of mixture still on the skewer, cook for a little bit longer, checking after 5 minutes. Just be careful not to overcook the brownie, as you will then risk it being dry.
8. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin. The top will have a crunch, and sink and crack a little. Don't worry about that - it's normal.
9. Remove from the tin, and cut the brownies into 16 squares and dust with icing sugar.

NB. If you are using Oreo cookies add two thirds of them into the mixture before pouring into the tin, and the scatter the remaining third evenly over the top before baking.

Part II coming soon.........watch this space!