Ottolenghi Brownies
The BEST Brownies
This recipe is an adaption from the Toffee Brownies in the Ottolenghi Cookbook, converted to US measurements!
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 cup, or two sticks, minus one tablespoon), plus melted butter for greasing the pan1.75 cups sifted plain flour or 1.25 cups unsifted flour
½ tsp salt
10.5 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
2 free-range eggs
1 1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp espresso powder
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. I suggest using a tin or ceramic pan, as a glass pan will take longer to bake.
3. Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Leave to melt, stirring occasionally from time to time. As soon as the butter and chocolate have melted, remove the bowl from above the water. This is important! You need to avoid getting the mix very hot.
4. In a large bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Work them until combined, a few seconds only, as there is no need to air into the eggs. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and then the sifted flour. Break the toffee into small pieces and fold them in as well.
5. Pour the mix onto the lined tin. Drop the jam in spoonfuls into the mixture and swirl it around with a knife.
6. Place on the center shelf of the oven and bake for roughly 25 minutes. Most of the time I find myself baking these for 35 minutes if I use a glass pan. When you stick a skewer inside your brownie, it must come out covered with lots of gooey crumbs, not with dry crumbs, but it must not be the type of wet mix you started off with. Once out, allow cooling on a wire rack before removing it from the tin. Cut into any shape you want and keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
