Hazelnut Brownies

Cut into 16 pieces

I love this chocolate brownie recipe!  Chocolate doesn't last long in this household!  I first heard of a cocoa powder recipe from reading a Food and Drink book written by the host Michael Barry.  Sadly, from Googling his name I found out he died in 2011.
I have made brownies many times varying the extra ingredient.  Prunes, and glacé cherries in the centre work well!  This time, I used hazelnuts.  I chose to put them on the bottom so they wouldn't burn if I put them as a topping and I would still get that slightly underbaked (or perfectly baked) gooey centre.  These are lovely and chewy on the edges.
You can make these cow-free by using Pure spread.  They're not as decadent but still taste good!

Makes 16 Brownies

Ingredients:

100g Butter
40g Cocoa Powder (I use Green & Black's)
2 large Eggs
225g Sugar (I used caster sugar but you can make it more fudgey with the brown varieties)
1tsp Vanilla Extract (Omitted as I didn't have any but it does make it nicer)
Pinch of salt
50g Self Raising Flour
100g Hazelnuts (I used the snacking variety with skins on)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave.  Use short blasts and keep an eye on it!  Add the cocoa powder and mix together.

Dark and brooding!

2. While the cocoa mixture is cooling, cream the eggs and sugar

Beat it in <2mins

Whizzy Whisk!

 I bought the Whizzy Whisk at a Foodies Festival.  They were £10 each or 2 for £15!  I was wondering if this was going to be one of those gadgets that you buy and don't use.  The demo was really good and I was sold!  This is the 2nd time I have used it!  This is a toil-free way of baking!  It works by using a plunging motion and the spring rotates the whisk end.

3.

Mix in the dark and brooding cocoa mixture

Add the Vanilla extract and pinch of salt.

4.

Hmmmmm!

Fold in the flour

5.   

Line your baking tray with Baking Parchment.  This is a silicone lined paper that makes it non-stick.  Pop your hazelnuts into the lined tray.  Preheat fan oven to 180C

6.

Ideally, you would pipe the mixture into the tray.  I don't bake enough to faff around with that!  I gently spooned blobs of the mixture into the tray.  This is to keep the hazelnuts spread out.  Once the mixture has been transferred from bowl to tray, smooth over with the back of the spoon.

Bake for 35mins but do check before that time.  You want a soft centre if possible.

Review:

These were good and very rich!  The corner pieces didn't have many hazelnuts.  Next time, I will put a whole layer of hazelnuts!  Buying the snacking hazelnut variety with the skins adds extra fibre.  They were good without the vanilla extract.