Beautifully fudgy with lots of sugar and butter, these real chocolate brownies are made with cocoa powder rather than chocolate.
As some of you have probably gathered, this month We Should Cocoa has teamed up with Random Recipes for a decadent extravaganza of chocolatey love. My pick really was decadent. I decided to put all of my books into the mix as most of them will have a chocolate recipe or two. I adopted my usual method of generating a random number and then used Eat Your Books to get the selection.
Real Chocolate by Chantal Coady was the result. CT did the honours of picking a page number and low and behold I got a nice easy recipe, Chocolate Brownies – hooray. Not only do I love to eat brownies, but they are a joy to make too. Simple and quick, but with delicious results. The recipe originated from someone called Mandy who married an Italian and went to live in Italy. All I can say is, if she took this recipe with her, she will have made herself one very popular woman.
Chantal Coady
Things aren’t what they used to be and when it comes to food and I reckon this has to be a good thing. Some of us are old enough to remember the dire state of British cuisine in the 1970s. During my childhood “real” chocolate wasn’t something that ever crossed my radar.
Luckily Chantal Coady came to our rescue; she is the doyenne of chocolate in the UK, educating us all into the delights of the real deal. Us Brits now know there is more to chocolate than a slab of Dairy Milk, oh yes indeed. Her book, Real Chocolate, first published ten years ago in 2003, not only includes a host of mouth watering recipes, but gives the history of chocolate and promotes its many health benefits to boot.
Chantal founded the Campaign for Real Chocolate, The Academy of Chocolate and co-founded The Chocolate Society. She also owns one of the best chocolateries in London, Rococo. I think you could describe her as a chocolate fan. Anyway, I was keen to try her real chocolate brownies.
Destined Never To Meet
Astonishingly, I’ve never visited the shop, although I have tasted some of the chocolate. I thought I was highly adventurous when I first tried her rose chocolate many years ago. It remains one of my favourite chocolate bars. Not that I get to eat it very often.
Well, it seems I’m fated to miss chocolate courses with Chantal. A couple of years ago I was booked on one of her courses in Bath and I was really looking forward to it. Sadly it was cancelled and I never did get to attend. Last year, the ever enterprising Vanessa Kimbell invited a group of bloggers to visit the Rococo chocolate factory in South London, but I was unable to make it and was thwarted once again. I heard what a wonderful time everyone had. Much chocolate was sampled and I tried very hard not to be envious.
Real Chocolate Brownies
Full of butter, sugar and eggs, this recipe looked decidedly wicked. It was tempered a little by lots of bitter cocoa powder and the addition of walnuts. I tempered it further by using wholemeal spelt flour rather than white or even my usual half and half. I’ve always found wholemeal works well in brownies, adding somehow to the fudgy consistency and taking a slight edge off the guilt factor.
I halved the quantities as best as I was able as just looking at the mega amount of sugar (675g) nearly gave me a heart attack. Despite this, I still managed to produce 16 pieces that were big enough to satisfy without feeling you’d overdosed.
I made these to take with us to a friend’s where we were going for dinner. Somewhat annoyingly I under-baked the brownies. I say somewhat, because actually I much prefer an under-baked brownie to an over-baked one. And usually by the next day they have firmed up to form an exceptionally good squidgy brownie. However, as I made these shortly before leaving, I didn’t feel I could take along a plateful of dripping goo, so I took the edge pieces and left the middle ones at home for us – that’s my excuse anyway.
The brownies were some of the best I’ve made in a while. They were beautifully fudgy and tasted divine. What more can I say?
Other Brownie Recipes You Might Like
- Black velvet cheesecake swirl brownies with stout caramel sauce
- Coffee brownies with almond nut butter
- Mincemeat brownies
- Triple chocolate almond brownies (gluten free)
Keep in Touch
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Real Chocolate Brownies – The Recipe
Real Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 175 g unsalted butter
- 70 g good quality cocoa powder (I used Green & Black’s)
- 3 extra large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 330 g golden caster sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 100 g walnuts – chopped
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder and leave to cool a little.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.
- Fold in the flour.
- Carefully stir in the butter mixture followed by the walnuts until just incorporated.
- Spoon into an 8″ (20cm) sq silicone cake mould or lined tin and bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for about 30 minutes. The brownie batter should be well risen with a crust over the top, but with a slight wobble to it. I tend to err on the side of caution and bake them less rather than more as I can’t stand overdone dry brownies.
- Leave to cool then cut into 16 squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharing
I’m submitting these real chocolate brownies to the joint We Should Cocoa and Random Recipe challenge with myself and Dom over at Belleau Kitchen.
Yay, I have access to duck eggs again. Those lazy ducks like to have an extended Christmas holiday I’ve noticed and it seem to last for several months. Anyway to mark this bake made with duck eggs from a local small holding which has real free ranging birds, I’m sending some of these real chocolate brownies to Shop Local over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.
These were AMAZING! I made a half batch, using 2 small/medium eggs, and with white spelt flour (didn’t have wholemeal). Baked for about 17 minutes and got that perfect squidge. I’m bookmarking this recipe for future baking because they were SO GOOD. We had them for dessert with fresh raspberries and ice-cream. Yum!
Ooh excellent Helen. Thanks for letting me know. I used duck eggs in mine which are really quite large, so your two smaller eggs sound about right for a half batch. And raspberries really are the best accompaniment to a brownie.
Thank you very much for your answer Choclette. When all my chocolate buns will be gone, I think your brownies will be the next treat I’ll make. 😉
Brownies are my go to bake and it’s rare that more than a couple of months pass by without me baking some 🙂
Hello Choclette,
I would like to try these very tempting brownies (and maybe by this way break my addiction to your double chocolate buns): what would be the right amount of walnuts to use to make them?
Gosh Marie, I do apologise. But thank you so much for pointing out this omission. I hate making mistakes. I’ve amended the recipe now, but it’s 100g walnuts. Brownies are my addiction and each batch I make I reckon they are the best ever. Maybe it’s time to make these ones again 🙂
Very nice recipe, It looks really great ! As I don’t have any duck eggs (and can’t find any around here !), do you have any “conversation table” to suggest ? To be honest, I have no real idea of the size/weight of a duck egg …
Thanks in advance.
Hi Isabelle – sorry, I usually put the alternative and forgot this time. Just substitute large hens eggs for the duck eggs.
oooh these sound heavenly! Thank you for sharing with #ShopLocal 🙂
Great-looking brownies! I tend to prefer brownie recipes that use cocoa rather than melted chocolate – not sure why. I am yet to find my ‘perfect’ recipe but this sounds like a great one. I like them gooey and squidgy too but a little chewy at the edges!
A gooey brownie is the best type 🙂
What a great idea to put some spelt in too. I’ve never baked with duck eggs – I am not keen on them oon their own, but I know they are meant to be good for baking.
They look gooeylicious! I love chocolate brownies and can never just stop at one.
Looking at all the comments about loving the gooey middle, I have to say that I love the edges. Chewy, a little crisp…so good.
A lovely random selection for a chocolate recipe, but then again, where could you possibly go wrong with chocolate. I wouldn’t mind having some brownies.
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing.
These look so delicious and gooey, pretty irresistable. GG
I love this is made with my favourite whole spelt flour. They look divine!
so I wonder what the ratio of chicken eggs to duck eggs is? I’m a bit of a brownie fan…even though I don’t bake too often!
The gooey-er the better, as I detest a brownie pan with too crisped edges … these look pretty darn good,dearie! Now all we need is the vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and walnuts! Brownie Sundae , anyone ??? Yum!
I love brownies, yours look delicious I like the idea of having some nuts in there. I totally get what you mean about the underbaking and them being ready for the next day. I made some salted caramel brownies the other day and to leave them overnight they were too squidgy but very yummy!
YUM! I love squidgy brownies and these look heavenly! Vohn x
Yum, yum, slurp 🙂
Janie x
675g of sugar – youch! halving makes recipes seem so much more approachable – these brownies look fantastic – hope your leftovers sliced up nicely the next day. I am not sure I will manage WSC this month – most of my baking recently is to satisfy lunchbox requirements and they are tough 🙂 plus I am not good with random recipes – much as I love the event.
Since I made my first brownie I’m craving more! Yours looks scrumptious!
gonna try next time..gnammy!
http://duecuoriinpadella.blogspot.it/
Oh, wow, they look amazing.
Yes, I’m an under-baker too – you can always set very underbaked ones in the freezer (though the discovery that they taste good frozen will set you on the path to wrack and ruin!) Love this mash-up with Random Recipes, but I can’t find the linky for the life of me. Can you help?
You can come round to mine for dinner anytime with a plate of these! Lovely
Gooey all the way for me! I tend to underbake mine as well and either sling them in the fridge or just leave them until the next day, fudginess guaranteed!
I love fudgey brownies. They should always be fudgey & never cakey in my opinion. You can’t beat them
These look wonderful. I like the brownies gooey and rich.
Perfect that you had some of these left over to enjoy at home.
Blessings dear. Catherine
Thanks Catherine, I suspect secretly most of us like them like that.
It was the perfect excuse. Gonna try that next time..
Haha, well you have to try 😉
I LOVE gooey brownies and these look LUSH! What a GREAT RR and WSC recipe, I must make mine soon! Karen
Thanks Karen. Looks like the gooey brownie camp is in the ascendent – for the moment anyway 😉
675g of sugar?! I don’t think I could ever bring myself to bake something with that much in, but even halved they look like pretty hefty chunks of brownie! Bit sad they traveled to Truro but none made it to my door…
Yes, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the sugar too. Truro Nat? No, it was the ancient capital of Cornwall, Launceston we were off to (one of the many).
i am SO completely with you there, I love a gooey brownie that has set the next day, I put mine in the fridge and they go all fudgy… oh hell yes!… your brownies look so delicious and I was wondering what you would pick for this challenge…. and lucky you to have a plate to come home to too… hope you’re not too wet and oozing (like your brownies) thanks for being a really fun partner this month xx
It’s been a real pleasure Dom. Setting brownies in the fridge for faster consumption is an ace idea. Although, I have to confess I have been known to eat them warm and gooey straight from the oven.
It’s a bit soggy and the house has sprung a few leaks, but thankfully there is no flooding around our way.