The Best- ever Brownies

I tried these brownies more than two years ago when I got fed up with those brownie mixes that comes in boxes with mouth-watering pictures. Once they were made, they didn't feel like actual brownies. They weren't fudgy, chocolaty (enough) or moist at all.

So I browsed the net and saw this recipe that is so simple and so quick to make. When you go through the ingredients, you’ll definitely desert it BUT it is a must try! Yes, it features a really unusual ingredient but it just results in a moist, fudgy and a really chocolaty brownie that just makes you take a moment to think how you can down it down all in one go.

The main ingredient – the chocolate has to be bitter-sweet with 70% or above cocoa solids, I tried this with a lower cocoa solids and it didn’t come out right.

Muscavado sugar is a type of unrefined brown sugar with a strong molasses flavour (molasses aka treacle). It is a really dark brown, sticky kind of sugar used in baking.

You can adjust the quantities of the sugars as you wish , I some times only add 150 grams or even 100 grams of sugar(totally) if the percentage of coca solids is low but if it is high I add the correct amount.

The coffee granules in the brownies actually help bring out and intensify the chocolate flavour. Okay, now for the secret ingredient à mayonnaise (surprised?). The mayonnaise is used instead of butter (surprise, surprise?) it just gives it enough fattiness as the butter and makes the entire thing so moist…………

THE BEST-BROWNIES:

Ingredients: (makes 12 pieces, if you cut in a square shape)

·       85 grams  dark chocolate (70% or above cocoa solids), chopped

·       85 grams plain flour, sifted

·       ¼ tsp sodium bicarbonate

·       50 grams muscavado sugar (even dark brown sugar will do)

·       100 grams golden caster sugar (even white caster sugar will do)

·       1 tsp coffee granules

·       2 tbsp buttermilk(I use yoghurt if I run out of buttermilk)

·       1 tsp vanilla essence

·       1 egg

·       100 grams of mayonnaise

Method:

·       Heat your oven to 180C. Lightly oil and base-line a 19cm square cake tin that is 5 cm deep. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or by the double boiler method* and cool.

·       In a bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder and the bicarbonate of soda. Add in both the sugars into the cooled chocolate mixture. Once mixed well, add the vanilla, buttermilk and coffee. Then break in an egg and beat until the entire mixture is homogeneous. Add the mayonnaise and beat until the mixture is glossy.

·       Add half the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Once well incorporated, add the rest and mix well.

·       Pour this onto the tin you had prepared and bake it for 20-25 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

·       Cool on a wiring rack, cut into slices and eat away!  

HAPPY BAKING =)