This recipe for Nigel Slater's Very Good Chocolate Brownies is from The Guardian. Along with the recipe there's a description that is much better than one I could have written --“The crust is thin and lightly crisp, the centre poised between chocolate cake and the texture of a peat bog. The flavour is intense.” I've never tasted a peat bog before, but after reading this I kind of feel like I have.
Having made Nigel Slater's brownies several times, I can tell you they are definitely better than mud and moss even if you use everyday cocoa powder rather than something expensive. Use whatever chocolate you have on hand or break out the expensive stuff and blow everyone’s mind. They are that good.
Recipe
Very Good Chocolate Brownies
Nigel Slater's Very Good Chocolate Brownies made with both cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 and ⅓ cups sugar
- 2 sticks butter I used unsalted
- 8.8 oz. semisweet chocolate
- 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- tiny pinch of salt I used a very big pinch ⅛ tsp
Instructions
- Line a 9 inch square metal pan with non-stick foil or line with regular foil and grease foil.
- Preheat oven at 180°C (350°F). Put the sugar and butter into the bowl of a food mixer and beat for several minutes till white and fluffy. By hand is okay, but it’s important to beat until very light and fluffy. I used a stand mixer and beat for a good 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, break the chocolate into pieces, set (2 oz.) of it aside and melt the rest in a bowl suspended over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. As soon as the chocolate has melted remove it from the heat. Chop the remaining 50g into gravel-sized pieces. Or, melt your chocolate in the microwave.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a fork. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix in a pinch of salt. With the mixer running slowly, add the beaten egg a little at a time, speeding up in between additions. Remove the bowl from the mixer to the work surface, then mix in the melted and the chopped chocolate with a large metal spoon. Lastly, fold in the flour and cocoa, gently and firmly, without knocking any of the air out. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes the top will have risen slightly and the brownies should appear softer in the middle than around the edges. Pierce the center of the cake with a fork - it should come out sticky, but not with raw mixture attached to it. If it looks raw, don’t worry because the brownies will solidify as they cool. Mine tested almost raw at 30 minutes. I put them in for another 4 then took them out to cool. They set up perfectly with a light skin and “peat bog” like texture.
- So total time for me was 34 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sara says
Hey Anna. I just recently found your site and got all excited with your brownie entries (48!!!). I've been looking for a good recipe for over three years now and none have worked (though most of the time it was probably my fault).
I made these yesterday and they were DELICIOUS. I left them in the oven for way longer cause they were still raw at 30 minutes but now they're all fudgy and delicious. Next time I'll cut down on the sugar, though, they can get a bit sickening. I froze them and then unfroze one today for breakfast and it was just as good.
Thanks for posting such a great recipe and for maintaining such a thorough blog. Like you, I'm addicted to baking. Thank you so much!!
Anna says
Hello Betsy!
Yes, parchment paper is fine. It's what most bakers use. I just like using non-stick foil because it's so convenient and molds to the pan so easily.
Anna says
Tob, I looked back at the picture. It's been a while since I made those.
I believe my brownies appearance is due to the fact that I covered the brownies tightly with foil rather than loosely. The steam messed up the top. So if you make that recipe, cover the brownies loosely.
Betsy says
This looks great. Got a question, when recipes say use non-stick foil, or regular foil (but greasee) -- can I just sub parchment paper. I always have that on hand (and use to line cookie sheets) and sometimes make a sleeve to line cake pan. Just didn't know, if it changes how the cake etc might cook (rise etc). I wouldn't think it would make a diff in brownies.
Thanks,
Great blog -- I check it all the time.
tob says
hi, can i ask about something? its about the Wanda's rich and dark brownies. How come my crust is very very thin and it seems very detached from the brownies? and the brownies are very holey.. haha i don understand why. Please advise me.
Noble Pig says
Wow, those look very good. I haven't had a good brownie in a while.
Angel says
I am so glad you liked the recipe! I have gotten so many wonderful recipes from this site so it is nice to be able to give a little back. The brownie in your picture looks absolutely delicious.
Anna says
Well, really they are like a peat bog.
Just kidding. Paula, they are definitely not cakey, but the only part that is chewy is the edge. Really, they are the quintessential brownie because they are neither fudgy nor cakey nor chewy -- kind of a conglomeration of all those things. Give the recipe a try. If you find them to be too cakey for your tastes, shoot me an email and we can troubleshoot. They shouldn't be cakey.
Paula says
Is the brownies chewie or cake like?
I have tried some recipes but they all seem to be cake like I like the chewie type
Anna says
Carol, I think you could make it with any type of cocoa. The dark (Dutch) cocoa was excellent, but with the baking powder and all the beating involved in this recipe, I don't see how using natural could have an impact on the leavening.
Carol says
Gaaaah, that looks good...I want to eat it right off of the page!
Do you think I can make these with non-Dutch cocoa? I have a can of Trader Joes Organic Cocoa "for drinking and baking." It is unsweetened, and "non-alkalized" which means non-Dutch, right?
Is "non-Dutch" even an actual term? 🙂