Monday, 15 October 2018

Gopi Chandran's Indulgent chocolate brownies #ChocolateWeek

Chocolate Week recipes


Chocolate Week (15-21 October 2018) is here, yippee! As if I need an excuse to indulge in chocolate?! If you're a chocoholic like me, celebrate the Chocolate week, having indulgent chocolate treats!

Whether you're a complete amateur or hoping to sign up for next year's GBBO, a fool-proof Chocolate brownie recipe is a must for any baker.

Gopi Chandran from Sopwell House reveals their recipe for how to make an indulgent chocolate brownie at home that will work every single time, the perfect treat you can enjoy this Chocolate Week.

chocolate brownie recipe

Gopi Chandran's Indulgent chocolate brownies (recipe reproduced with kind permission from Gopi Chandran)
Serves 8-10 people
Ingredients:
250g good quality dark chocolate - we use Callebaut Dark Chocolate Buttons
250g unsalted butter
150g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
300g caster sugar (I used 100g)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C.
2. Lightly grease a traybake tin or silicone tray and line with baking paper.
3. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Combine the eggs and sugar to create a custard-like consistency.
5. Slowly add the chocolate and butter, mixing in gradually to ensure the cold and warm mixtures combine smoothly.
6. Slowly add the flour and baking powder, and mix well.
7. Once combined, pour the mixture into the lined tray and spread evenly.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, or 25 minutes if you prefer them gooey and soft.
9. Leave to cool, slice into 8-10 squares and enjoy!

Sopwell House's Chocolate Brownie is served in The Brasserie with passion fruit crémeux and coconut sorbet.

I imagine the passion fruit crémeux and coconut sorbet will make this dessert extra special, but I served it with single cream, and it was wonderful. Good quality vanilla ice cream would be another tasty option.

My take on the recipe is that you might want to reduce the amount of sugar; 300g of sugar seems too much. As the chocolate buttons are already sweetened, 100g of sugar is plenty.
It might take you less (or more) time to bake the brownies, depending on the oven. When I checked the brownie after 25 minutes of baking, the middle was still completely wobbly-liquid, then I kept checking every couple of minutes.

I cut it into 16 squares.



I baked these brownies on Friday, and a friend who tasted them said these were the best brownies ever. My husband and children also loved them.

best brownies recipe


If you want to use the Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets, you can find them on amazon (click on the link; this is not an affiliate link, I recommend it because I've tried and liked it). When I bought them last week, they were priced at £10.59, now the price has gone a bit up.
It might seem quite pricey, but this is a 1kg bag.

best chocolate for ganache

best chocolate for melting


This is a high quality Belgian chocolate, with a balanced cocoa taste and a light bitter undertone. It melts beautifully and makes a smooth glossy ganache.




Sopwell House is a stunning 18C Georgian house located in the city of St Albans deep within the Hertfordshire countryside. Located only 20 minutes from London St Pancras, the hotel is the idyllic getaway just outside the hustle and bustle of the capital.
The hotel is the perfect place to dine boasting a 2AA Rosette restaurant, a vibrant Brasserie, an elegant cocktail lounge, and conservatory bar, all of which look out on 12 acres of beautiful gardens.

Many thanks to Gopi and Sopwell House for sharing this recipe and introducing me to the Callebaut chocolate buttons!

best chocolate brownies recipe

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