This is for those times you urgently need a brownie, but don't want to make — or, rather, can't justify making — a whole batch. This recipe makes two (four if needs be) fudgy brownies to be snaffled straight from the tin. And they can be turned into glorious sundaes: squish into glasses with ice cream, pour a little maple syrup over and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
It is worth keeping takeaway-style foil tins in the house just to make these.
Ingredients
Makes: 2 generous squares or 4 more modest rectangles
Metric Cups
3 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
¼ cup soft light brown sugar
1 tablespoon (25g) maple or golden syrup or light corn syrup
3 tablespoons (35g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (20g) unsweetened cocoa
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup walnut pieces
¼ cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (as wished)
Method
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the butter, sugar and maple or golden syrup or light corn syrup into a small heavy-based saucepan and gently warm, stirring once or twice, until the butter's melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
Whisk the egg with the vanilla — just casually, by hand — then stir into the pan, giving a final little whisk, if needed, to make sure everything's mixed together thoroughly, before folding in the nuts and chocolate chips. Pour and scrape this nubbly brownie batter into a foil tin measuring approx. 18 x 11 x 5cm / 7 x 5 x 2in. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it is beginning to come away at the sides and the top has dried a little just around the edges.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool — but not completely. I leave them for 20-30 minutes (and that's difficult enough) so that my first bite gets them when still warm, but just set enough to cut into 2 squidgy squares. If your need is not so great, or you want them to go further, cut each square in half again.