Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Chocolatey Squidgy Brownie Goodness

(Also known as Nigella's Flourless Chocolate Brownies)



Discovered this recipe recently when a friend posted in her facebook status that she was making them. It's available on Nigella Lawson's website, but I've converted it slightly to suit Aussie measurements, including ingredient recommendations. Nigella's recipe works well as a dessert with accompanying hot chocolate sauce, but I've only ever made it as a brownie.

This recipe is very easy to make, as all the ingredients can be mixed together in the same saucepan and then transferred to a 24cm square baking tin.


Ingredients
225g Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)*
225g Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 cup (200g) Caster Sugar
3 eggs, beaten
150g Ground Almonds**
100g Chopped Walnuts***
Icing sugar, to dust


Method
  1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter gently over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.
  3. Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla and sugar, and let it cool a little.
  4. Beat the eggs into the pan along with the ground almonds and chopped walnuts.
  5. Turn into a greased square baking tin (or a foil one if you have one)
  6. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, when the top will have set but the mixture will still be gooey.
  7. Allow to cool and cut carefully into 16 (four down, four across) squares. Refridgerate until it needs to be served.
  8. Prior to serving, dust with icing sugar.


Notes
* 2 x 200g blocks of Lindt 70% or Black & Green 70% chocolate works well.
** I used 'Freshlife' Almond Meal.
*** I used 125g packet of 'Lucky' Crumbed Walnuts

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

birthday boy

Our little boy - even as I write he's still half the size of me, in height - turned 2 last Saturday.

His birthday coincided with the Westernport Festival so Saturday was spent opening presents, watching the parade down High Street at midday and wandering around the amusements, attractions & rides at the foreshore. For dinner, we enjoyed a BBQ tea at the fire station (for brigade members) and topped the evening off with fireworks down the foreshore.

On Sunday, we hosted a small afternoon tea for close friends and family. Hubby took the small boy down the foreshore to look at the big truck display (scoring himself a ride in a crane whilst down there) whilst I cooked, baked and generally got the decorations up before the guests arrived.

Small boy was spoilt rotten with the guests and presents and was in awe of the excellent train birthday cake that his Nana made for him.