Easter Brownies – Simnel By Any Other Name
Quick to make and so delicious to eat. These simnel Easter brownies are rich, fudgy and decadent. And if you like marzipan, there’s a bonus chunk of it in every mouthful.
Now what do you do with 100g of delicious homemade marzipan left over from making your simnel cake? Well, brownies of course – specifically Easter brownies.
I’d had a look at Paul A Young’s simnel brownies, but although I really must try that recipe at some point in my life, I didn’t feel now was it. Possibly the best brownies I’ve yet made are those from Pam Corbin’s most excellent of books Cake: River Cottage handbook no 8.
I still haven’t managed to post the recipe for them, so I’m posting this adapted second version first.
Easter Brownies
As you can see, I adapted the recipe to make Easter brownies. It’s that time of year.
Apart from adding marzipan and spices to the mix, I used my favourite baking flour, wholemeal spelt flour. I also changed up the chocolate.
As is often the case when I’m baking, I used the occasion to have a bit of a clear out. I had some cranberry dark chocolate left over from Christmas, so I used that instead of plain chocolate. I made up the rest with some extra dark 85% cocoa solids. If I’d not had the cranberry chocolate, I might have been tempted to add some raisins to these Easter brownies.
These took pride of place at our Easter tea – along with the simnel cake, naturally. Really there’s not a great deal to say except mmmmmmm!! Everyone loved them and I will most certainly be making these Easter brownies again. AND they are so quick to make, you still have plenty of time to whip some up for Easter tea.
I hope you all have a very Happy Easter and don’t forget to enjoy your chocolate. Oh! And these gorgeous bakes.
Other Easter Bakes You Might Like
- Almond Easter thumbprint cookies
- Amaretto Easter cupcakes with crystallised flowers
- Creme egg buns
- Hot cross bun pancakes
- Hot cross buns
- Nettle, lemon & white chocolate cupcakes
- Simnel mincemeat Easter cake with chocolate truffle apostles
- Spicy chocolate & orange Easter bundt cake
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these Easter brownies, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Simnel Easter Brownies. PIN IT.
Easter Brownies – The Recipe
Easter Brownies
Ingredients
- 185 g dark chocolate
- 185 g unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 275 g sugar (I used 175g vanilla golden caster & 100g dark molasses sugar)
- 85 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- good grating of nutmeg
- 100 g of marzipan - cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over a low heat then leave to cool slightly.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together using an electric whisk for a good 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and doubled in volume.
- Fold the chocolate into the eggs.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and grate in some nutmeg.
- Fold it all in together as carefully as possible.
- Gently stir in the marzipan.
- Spoon into a 23 cm (9") sq silicone cake mould or lined tin and bake for 30 minutes at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4).
- Leave to cool overnight.
- Remove from the mould, cut into 16 squares and press a mini chocolate egg onto the top of each one.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharing
Every month Kate of What Kate Baked and Karen of Lavender and Lovage take turns hosting a tea time treats event where it’s usually very hard to resist virtual overindulgence. I’m submitting these Easter simnel brownies to the massive Easter party hosted this month by Kate.
Dom at Belleau Kitchen
8th April 2012 at 7:33 amOh good lord they look gooooood! I am so tempted to haul my lazy arse out of bed and go make these but …
Choclette
11th April 2012 at 5:52 pmDom, they were damn good and sure worth getting out of bed for 🙂
Kate@whatkatebaked
8th April 2012 at 7:56 amI’m a huge, huge fan of marzipan…and to add them to Brownies?! Brilliant! Happy Easter Choclette!
Choclette
11th April 2012 at 5:54 pmThank you Kate – marzipan in brownies is just …. wonderful. Hope you had a great Easter.
Hannah
8th April 2012 at 9:24 amI’m glad you found a use for your leftover marzipan! Adding it into brownies is an epic idea. Hope you have a great chocolatey Easter!
Choclette
11th April 2012 at 5:56 pmHannah, it was a great use for the marzipan, although I’d have been very happy to just demolish it straight! Think I had more cake than chocolate, but am hoping to make up for it soon 😉 Hope you had a lovely holiday.
missflash
8th April 2012 at 10:52 amLooks beautiful and very appetising x
Choclette
11th April 2012 at 5:57 pmThank you, very kind.
Javelin Warrior
8th April 2012 at 11:56 amWow, duck eggs! I’m impressed b/c I don’t think I could even find duck eggs locally even if I wanted to… These brownies sound delicious…
Choclette
11th April 2012 at 6:18 pmI do try and use duck eggs in my baking if I can JW, but they are seasonal so I make the most of them during the spring and summer.
Shaheen
8th April 2012 at 11:20 amWhat a way with marzipan, now pass me one over.
Choclette
11th April 2012 at 6:16 pmOh Shaheen, I think there might just be one left 😉
Mozart's Girl
8th April 2012 at 12:42 pmYum! Even I…who can barely look a brownie in the eye (!) after baking so many every week…think these look delish! save me a crusty corner! Happy Easter xoxo Rachel
Choclette
12th April 2012 at 10:57 amHa ha, I can imagine the best way to wean oneself from chocolate and other sweet stuff is to bake it all day long – does it really work I wonder? Can do better than a crusty corner – a whole virtual slice is winging it’s way towards you. Hope you had a lovely Easter.
Caroline
8th April 2012 at 2:17 pmOoh, yum. I’ll have to fish out my copy of the book and have another look at these – they look great with the added marzipan too.
Choclette
12th April 2012 at 12:01 pmSee what you think Caroline. I always find it difficult to figure out which is the best because they are no all laid out before me to try at the same time, but I’ve found Pam’s to be some of the best. Now, I wouldn’t have thought marzipan was your thing?
A Trifle Rushed
8th April 2012 at 5:45 pmYou must be the best chocolate baker in the world. I’m tempted to swap my holiday home in Brittany for one in Cornwall, so I could pop round for any leftovers! If you move to Richmond please let me know! 🙂 happy Easter. Jude x
Choclette
12th April 2012 at 1:52 pmHe he Jude, wouldn’t I just love to be the best chocolate baker in the world! And it would be lovely to have your pop round for a slice or two of something – it wouldn’t have to be leftovers honestly 😉 Hope you’re having a great time in Brittany & thanks for the Easter wishes.
Baking Addict
8th April 2012 at 7:01 pmBrownies are one of my favourite but not marzipan as you know! Did the wholemeal spelt flour add to the texture or taste? I’ve never tried brownies with different flours before. I’ve definitely over indulged in chocolate including my favourite Green&Black butterscotch egg. Happy Easter! x
Choclette
12th April 2012 at 7:40 pmSpelt adds to the texture rather than taste – it’s hard to taste anything that subtle in a brownie, but if I add spelt I can kid myself I’m getting some good out of them 😉 Glad you got plenty of chocolate over Easter. Thanks for the good wishes.
fiona maclean
8th April 2012 at 7:05 pmNo No NO….STOP posting pictures that make me want more chocolate!
Choclette
13th April 2012 at 12:24 pmHa ha Fiona – I’m not known as a wicked temptress for nothing 😉
Sarah-Jane - SiliconeMoulds.com
8th April 2012 at 10:21 pmYour brownies look really nice and squidgy. Yum…. – but the marzipan thing is a no for me too. Strangely, I adore almonds but hate marzipan. How can that be ?
Look out for the front cover recipe on Good Food magazine ( the new one ). I made an adapted version of that on Friday and it is very good too.
Choclette
13th April 2012 at 12:27 pmNow that is just being pig-headed surely! Will look out for GFM, thank you. There are always so many good things to make – luckily!
Hazel - Chicken in a Cherry Sauce
8th April 2012 at 10:34 pmMmmm I love the idea of nutmeg and cinnamon in these brownies with the marzipan. Definitely a flavour combo that I haven’t tried before but sounds wonderful! Happy Easter Tea Time!
Choclette
15th April 2012 at 7:05 pmThanks Hazel. They worked really well as a flavour with the marzipan, slightly unusual but quite delicious.
Johanna GGG
9th April 2012 at 2:18 ammarzipan and molasses in a brownie sounds delish – just what is needed at easter – got to go and take a small finger out of a choc chip muesli slice
Choclette
15th April 2012 at 7:06 pmNow you’re just trying to make me feel over indulgent, your muesli slice sounds like the sort of thing I ought to be eating instead of brownies.
Chele
9th April 2012 at 6:34 amDecadent brownies for |Easter go hand in hand really. They look like they turned out a treat.
Choclette
15th April 2012 at 7:07 pmHa ha Chele, you are so right and they made up for the lack of Easter eggs 😉
Katie
10th April 2012 at 6:11 amSound fabulous and like the sound of whisking the eggs. Very much like a choc truffle cake. Love the marzipan addition! Happy Easter
Choclette
15th April 2012 at 7:08 pmKatie, I still haven’t made a truffle cake and I really must try one. Thanks for the Easter wishes and hope you had a good one.
Nic
10th April 2012 at 11:22 amSo glad to see that you found a way to use up the left-over marzipan. Great ideas as always. Hope you had a lovely Easter.
Choclette
15th April 2012 at 7:10 pmNic, thank you. Hope you had a lovely Easter too. I could quite happily have eaten the left-over marzipan all by itself, but managed to resist. I resisted and then indulged in these brownies instead 😀
thelittleloaf
10th April 2012 at 12:34 pmI love the idea of adding a little Easter spice to brownies. A few years ago I wouldn’t have wanted to contaminate the taste of pure chocolate, but as my palate matures I’m getting more and more keen on mixing it up a little.
Choclette
16th April 2012 at 1:57 pmAh, now maybe there’s something to be said for keeping things simple and not contaminating the taste of pure chocolate – a good brownie doesn’t really need anything more, but it is fun to experiment.
Kit @ i-lostinausten
10th April 2012 at 6:28 pmWhat a great idea & amazing recipe !! Very interesting adding duck eggs! Never tried before & these brownies look tempting!! YUM! 🙂
Choclette
16th April 2012 at 1:59 pmThank you Kit. I always try and use duck eggs for baking if I can get them as they generally give a better result. But I can’t always get them.
Karen S Booth
12th April 2012 at 3:59 pmWhat a REALLY inventive way of using up the rest of the home made marzipan….this is a brilliant entry into TTT thanks Choclette and it’s great to see that are using duck eggs too! 🙂
Choclette
16th April 2012 at 2:00 pmThanks Karen. Re duck eggs, see above comment.