Chocolate Brownies

Lets face facts, the year is almost over and once again Christmas is upon us, and its time to think of all those Christmas Gifts that you still have to buy. What better way to share your love, than by making personal gifts for those close to you. The days are gone when we have to spend all our hard earned cash on gifts to impress. A gift from the heart is much more meaningful, and spending a morning in the kitchen sure beats the shopping malls filled with crowds of last minute shoppers and Christmas Carols ringing out from every store. These chocolate brownies can be made weeks ahead, and frozen until you need them.

This chocolate brownie recipe was given to me by a friend, and I have made it time and time again, and is the standard pudding I take with me when invited for dinner. It is not your average chocolate brownie cake recipe, but more like a dense slab of soft chocolate, and truly amazing. It is great eaten cold straight out the fridge, at room temperature, or served warm with vanilla ice cream. Its definitely not what you should be giving your overweight aunt who has a heart condition, as the quantities of chocolate, butter and sugar are huge, to say the least. But then again its Christmas , and the time to be merry, and how can you be merry without tons of good sweet food, and friends and family to celebrate it with.

50g flour70g cocoa400g sugar140g chopped white chocolate (fudge or nuts can be substituted here according to your likes)260g milk chocolate chopped4 eggs5ml vanilla essence250g butter
This recipe is very dense and moist.
Sift flour, cocoa and sugar into a bowl.Add chopped white and milk chocolate. I cut each square into about 4 pieces so they are not too small
Beat eggs lightly and add vanilla essence to eggs.Melt butter over a low heat.
Add all wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix everything together. You dont need an electric beater for this, just use a wooden spoon .Grease a baking tin. I use a flat one without high sides – its easier to get it out. About 30 x 20 cm
Bake at 180 for 30 - 35 mins. When it comes out the oven it still takes awhile to set. When its cool cover with glad wrap and put in the fridge overnight to set.Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.
It is best kept in the fridge until needed. Can also be frozen .