Valentine’s Day Brownies

Method

How it goes together

1. 01

   Step 1

   Prepare the tin – Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (160°C/325°F fan-forced). Grease and line a 20 cm (8 inch) square tin with baking (parchment) paper, leaving at least 5 cm (2 inches) overhang to help you lift the brownies out once baked.

   The paper overhang is what lets you lift a soft, ganache-topped slab out in one piece instead of digging it out square by square.

2. 02

   Step 2

   Melt the butter – Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat until just melted, or place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts until melted (about 60 seconds).

3. 03

   Step 3

   Mix the base – Transfer the melted butter to a large heatproof bowl. Add the brown sugar and stir until well combined and glossy. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk gently until smooth and well combined.

   Stirring the sugar into warm butter dissolves it, which is what gives a brownie that thin, papery, crackled top. Cooling for 5 minutes first stops the eggs scrambling and keeps the batter smooth.

4. 04

   Step 4

   Add the dry ingredients – Add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix until just combined – avoid overmixing.

   Stopping the moment the flour disappears keeps gluten development to a minimum, which is the difference between dense and fudgy and tough and rubbery.

5. 05

   Step 5

   Fold the chocolate through – Fold the chopped dark and milk chocolates through. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly.

   Folding chopped chocolate through rather than melting it in leaves molten pockets that stay soft and gooey after baking.

6. 06

   Step 6

   Bake – Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the surface looks set and the brownie no longer looks wet in the centre. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out with thick, moist crumbs attached – not clean. The brownie should still have a slight wobble in the centre when gently shaken; it will continue to set as it cools. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin. (See note 1 for how to finish if you aren’t going to make the ganache.)

   Brownies carry on cooking in the hot tin, so pulling them while the centre still moves is what leaves them fudgy rather than dry. Cooling completely also firms the crumb so the ganache sits on top instead of sinking in.

7. 07

   Step 7

   Heat the cream for the ganache – Heat the thickened cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until just hot, or microwave in a heatproof bowl in 15-second bursts (30–45 seconds total), until hot but not boiling.

   Hot but not boiling cream melts the chocolate gently. Boiling cream can scorch the cocoa solids and split the fat out, leaving a grainy ganache.

8. 08

   Step 8

   Mix with the chocolate – Place the chopped dark chocolate into a medium heatproof bowl. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir with a spatula (not a whisk) until smooth and glossy. If the ganache hasn’t fully come together after 1–2 minutes, microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring well between each, until smooth.

   Letting the hot cream sit on the chocolate and then stirring with a spatula brings the fat and liquid together smoothly without beating in air, so the set ganache is dense and mirror-glossy.

9. 09

   Step 9

   Finish and set – Pour the ganache over the cooled brownie and gently tilt the tin to level. Sprinkle with heart sprinkles (if using). Refrigerate for 1–2 hours, or until the ganache is set but still soft to the touch.

   Tilting the tin uses gravity to level the ganache without spreading, which keeps the surface unmarked. Chilling only until just set keeps it soft enough to cut cleanly.

10. 10

    Step 10

    Slice and serve – Lift the brownie from the tin, using the paper overhang to help you, and cut into nine squares using a sharp knife for jumbo brownies or 16 squares for smaller brownies, wiping the blade clean between slices.

    A clean blade between cuts stops smeared ganache dragging across the next slice, so every square has sharp edges.