Easter Brownie Recipe

These decadent brownies filled with Mini Eggs offer the perfect sweet treat for this easter weekend. This recipe never fails me and is one I come back to all year round for all sorts of special occasions. You can mix it up, swap the mini eggs for any sort of chocolate. Why not put that spare Easter chocolate to good use and make this recipe perfect for you! 

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter 

200g best dark chocolate 

90g plain flour 

45g cocoa powder 

100g milk chocolate (I love using Cadbury’s for this recipe) 

3 large eggs 

280g golden caster sugar 

Equipment

Medium Mixing bowl x 2  

Large mixing bowl x 1 

Sharp knife 

Rubber spatula 

Sieve 

Electric whisk 

Baking paper or foil 

Baking tin (recommend 20cm square tin) 

Method

20 minutes prep, 20-30 minutes cooking

1. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to a mixing bowl. Next break up the dark chocolate into small pieces and add to the butter.  
2. Boil the kettle and add water to a small saucepan, you only need a couple of inches depth of water. Sit the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan so it rests on the rim but ensure that the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Turn the heat on low and stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate has melted. 
3. Once melted, remove from pan and allow to cool down to room temperature.  
4. While the chocolate and butter mixture is cooling pre-heat your oven to 180°C conventional/190°C fan. Next, cut out a square of kitchen foil (or non-stick baking parchment) to line the base of your chosen baking tray, I would recommend a 20cm square tray.  
5. Then, add the plain flour and cocoa powder into a sieve over a mixing bowl. Then tap the sieve across the palm of your hand and shake them through together to remove any lumps. 
6. Using a sharp knife carefully cut the Mini Eggs in half, or if you prefer you could leave them whole. Don’t cut them down too small as they will simply melt into the mix rather than stand out as a chunky treat inside the brownie! 
7. In another large bowl break in the eggs and add the golden caster sugar. Using an electric whisk on maximum speed and combine the eggs and sugar. They will turn thick and creamy, like a milk shake. Depending on the power of your mixer this can take between 4 – 8 minutes. We want the mixture to become really pale and double its original volume or alternatively you can check by turning the mixer off, lifting the beaters out and seeing if the mixture leaves a trails on the surface of the mixture for a second or two – if it does, that’s perfect. 
8. Next, pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the whisked egg and sugar and gently fold together with a rubber spatula using a figure of eight motion by plunging the spatula in one side, taking it underneath and bringing up the opposite side and again in the middle. Continue, gently, until fully combined. This can take a good few minutes, gentle and slow is the aim here, we want to keep as much air in as possible. 
9. Then, holding the sieve over the chocolate mixture re-sieve the cocoa and flour mixture into the bowl, distribute as evenly as you can across the top of the mixture by moving side to side. Next, gently fold in using the same figure of eight motion as before. Again, slow and steady with this again, initially it will look a bit dusty but keep going it will get there. We don’t want to overmix and knock out the air so if you think it’s done (thick and fudgy) then it is, stop there. 
10. Finally, stir in the milk chocolate chunks and make sure they are distributed evenly, again slow and steady. 
11. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking tin, using your rubber spatula make sure you scrape out all the mixture and use the spatula to coax the mix into the corners and evenly across the tin. 
12. Place in the oven (in the middle) and set your timer for 20 minutes. Check your brownies carefully, pull them out and give them a gentle wobble. If it wobbles in the middle it’s not quite done and so place back in the oven for another 5 minutes, you may have to do this twice. You want the top to be nice a crispy and the sides coming away from the tin slightly.  
13. Once cooked take out of oven and allow to cool completely, no matter how tempting it is! Once cooled carefully removed from tin and using a sharp knife portion accordingly. 
14. These brownies can be frozen (for up to one month) or if stored in an air-tight container will last up to 10 days, however they never last that long in our house.