Thursday 22 August 2013

Double Chocolate Brownies

I'm mostly a baker of biscuits, or cupcakes if someone has a birthday, but lately I've been obsessed with brownies. You can have them as a morning or afternoon snack. You can serve them with icecream for a dinner party dessert. You can use them to bribe your coworkers when you need a favour (hi Brendan if you're reading!). What's not to love?




My recipe is based on Donna Hay's Triple Chocolate Brownies from the Marie Claire 'Flavours' cookbook. 

Ingredients

185g butter
185g dark chocolate
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
2/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white choc chips 

Method

1. Melt butter and dark chocolate (I use NestlĂ© or Cadbury) over a low heat until smooth. Allow to cool. 

2. Beat eggs and sugar in your KitchenAid, or use a rubbish Sunbeam hand mixer if that's all you have. 

3. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture. 

4. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. (Donna says to sift them first but I can't be bothered.)

5. Stir through choc chips. 

6. Pour into your tin. Make sure you don't scrape the bowl too thoroughly!

7. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 180 degrees. Lick the spoon and scrape the bowl while you wait (this is the real reason I love to make brownies).


Tips

Donna uses both white and milk chocolate pieces in her brownies, and chops it all up herself, which is crazy. I just use a packet of NestlĂ© white choc baking chips. You could substitute nuts for some of the chocolate if you were so inclined, but brownies with nuts in them suck so probably don't do that. 

Attn: Suzi! Donna recommends a 9 inch square cake tin. I prefer to use my rectangular brownie/slice tin because that's how my mum taught me. I don't know the measurements but it looks about the same capacity as my square tin - anything similar should do.

Monday 12 August 2013

Banker For A Day

I had last Monday off work for Bank Holiday (even though I don't actually work in a bank at all). I was pretty thrilled to have a free weekday so I really made the most of it. 

I did some laundry and drove to my parents' place to hang it out because I couldn't fit it on our little washing line.

I wasn't sick but my doctor is only open weekdays 9-5 so I figured I might as well pop in. I have asthma in manner of Sickly Child in 1950s novel and it had been bothering me more than usual so I got some new stuff for it.

I went to the RTA and got my Green Ps (I lived on the edge and just rocked up without doing a practice test so I was really relieved I passed).

I scored some excellent bargains at the op shop. 

I went to work for a little bit because I'm a total chump. 

I met my mum for lunch. 

We did a bit of shopping - I spent $50 but also returned $50 worth of stuff so v thrifty really - then visited my Nana. Hello Nana if you're reading!

I went back to my parents' for my laundry. By this point my asthma was actually getting pretty bad so I was glad I'd been to the doctor. 

Luckily mum gave me some leftovers to take home for dinner so I didn't have to think about cooking, I just chucked some root veggies in the oven and microwaved some peas then got on with lying about feeling sorry for myself. 

By the end of the night my breathing was so bad I could barely sleep, and long story short I had the flu as well as asthma and I had to take the whole entire week off work.

It was boring as all heck - I was actually glad to come back to the office today.

And tonight I have a Hot Date with my friend Ben! (Hello if you're reading! See you soon!)