A good brownie is something to behold. I am very specific about what constitutes a good brownie and very few satisfy my requirements. I learnt a long time ago not to go near the pallid cellophane-wrapped ones that adorn so many cafe counters, plonked on a plate next to the till, each one identical to it's neighbour. You can practically see the moisture being squeezed out of them as they sit there. A good brownie is one which is handmade, contains as little flour as possible (I have been known to make a delicious gluten-free variety, replacing the flour with ground almonds) and eaten whilst still warm from the oven. A brownie should have a pale brown, crisp layer on top which cracks easily to reveal a dark, dense, thick, gloopy, squishy, damp (I could go on) interior. This recipe, that I received from my friend Carol, didn't disappoint. I added half a packet of Oreo cookies to give it a twist, something that I saw Lorraine Pascale do on her TV show 'Baking Made Easy' last week (I love it). I like that it looks a bit like a brown swamp with Oreos for stepping stones. It's tastier than a swamp though (probably).
oreo brownies125g butter
50g cocoa powder
60g plain chocolate in small pieces
2 medium eggs
1/2 tsp salt
250g light brown sugar
125g self raising flour
85g chopped walnuts
1/2 packet Oreo cookies
Preheat oven to 180c
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the cocoa power, add the chocolate and stir until melted. Remove from the heat.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt until light and frothy, then whisk in the butter and chocolate mixture.
3. Sift the flour into the mixturea and fold in lightly with large metal spoon.
4. Roughly break up the Oreo cookies and stir into the mixure, along with the nuts.
5. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 7inch square baking tin.
6. Bake for 30-40 mins – the brownie should be slightly undercooked.
7. Cool in the tin, cut into squares, and enjoy.
