Extra-Nutty Brownies

Brownies! How anyone resist the temptation of brownies! Especially if you are a chocoholic, the sight of a chocolate covered brownies is enough to make you drool! Well, drool no more, make a batch of this and savour to your hearts content. Forget about the calories, the fats, the sugars, just this once! If you feel guilty about it, then eat a slice, maybe two, giveaway the rest to your friends or a neighbour (make sure that the person you're giving to really appreciate chocolates!, otherwise it will be sitting in their refrigerator until the next "fridge-spring-clean"!!!)

These Extra-Nutty Brownies are really delicious. If you like them sticky and fudgy, follow the baking time indicated, otherwise, bake them a little longer. As for me, I like them a little bit set, more like a cake texture, but not quite! So I bake them 10 minutes longer. This recipe calls for extra nuts on the chocolate icing, but I omitted them, since both my daughter and myself are not exactly crazy over nuts. I like nuts, but too much of it, dominates the flavour and texture of the whole cake. You'll be chewing with bits and pieces of the nuts rather than the cake itself! But if you are nuts over nuts, then by all means, indulge! The choc icing is a little too sweet for me, even though I reduced the sugar. I think the next time (yes, I will definitely be baking this again!), I'm gonna try bitter chocolate topping with no sugar.

Extra-Nutty Brownies
(adapted from "brownies" by Linda Collister)
"Walnuts have a creamy, bittersweet taste that contrasts well with the sweetness of the brownie mixture. Here, there is a high proportion of walnuts to mixture, plus a fudgy walnut topping. For a deeper flavour toast the nuts for 10 minutes in the oven before adding to both the brownie and topping mixtures."

Ingredients :
100gm good quality plain chocolate
115gm unsalted butter
200gm light brown muscovado sugar (1 use 170gm)
1/2 tsp real vanilla essence
2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
100gm plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
150gm walnut pieces

Icing :
50gm good-quality plain chocolate
50gm unsalted butter
2 tbsp milk
100gm icing sugar (I use 70gm)
50gm walnut pieces

a brownie tin, 20.5 x 25.5cm, greased and base-lined

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) Gas 4. Break up chocolate and put it in a heatproof mixing bowl with the butter. Set the bowl over a pan of steaming water and melt gently, stirring frequently.
2. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs and beat well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together as a smooth batter.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa into the bowl and stir in. When thoroughly combined stir in the nuts. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and spread evenly.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Remove the tin from the oven. Leave to cool completely then carefully remove the brownie from the tin.
5. Meanwhile make the icing : melt the chocolate and butter as above. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the milk.
6. Sift the cocoa and icing sugar into the bowl and stir in. When thick and smooth stir in the nuts. Spread the icing over the cooled, baked brownie.
7. Once the topping is firm, cut the brownie into 20 pieces. Store in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.