Donna Hay's Chocolate brownies

I have been super absent lately but coping with my first pregnancy has been very tough. Food - everything about food - has really turned me off. In the first trimester I couldn't even talk about food let alone cook, blog or watch my beloved reality cooking shows. Second trimester it eased up a bit and now that I'm in the third trimester I feel like I'm back in the first just a lot bigger and more uncomfortable. With 4 weeks left until B day, and more time on my hands now I've finished up at work, I thought I would attempt some baking (much easier on my tummy than dealing with raw meats!).

I love most of Donna Hay's recipes and her simple chocolate brownie is no exception, it's probably one my favourite recipes. It only takes about an hour to make (not including cooling time) and can be frozen so you don't have to scoff the entire tray in one hit, unless you want to. This is the first time I've ever frozen brownies but I want to have a few treats at the ready for when family and friends come by to meet our newest addition in a few weeks. 


What you will need:

• 200g dark chocolate, chopped 
• 250g butter, chopped
• 1¾ cups (310g) brown sugar

• 4 eggs

• ⅓ cup (35g) cocoa powder, sifted

• 1¼ cups (185g) plain (all-purpose) flour

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

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Preheat oven to 160°C (325ºF). Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat. 

Stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly.

Place the sugar, eggs, cocoa, flour and baking powder in a bowl

Add the chocolate mixture.

Mix until combined.

Pour into a  lined 20cm-square slice tin 

Bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted skewer withdraws clean (mine didn't take this long so be sure to check it regularly. Mine took about 35 minutes. It it will depend on your oven).

Allow to cool slightly in the tin before slicing

Serve warm or cold. How many pieces you get will depend on how big or small you cut them. This time around I did them small so they are bit size treats for visitors. 

Can be served with ice cream and raspberry sauce for a yummy dessert, or sprinkle over some icing sugar for a delicious afternoon snack.

To freeze them, once they were cool cut them into desired size pieces, wrapped them twice in cling wrap and once in foil, put them in a sealable container and popped them in the freezer. They will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. 

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