Original recipe of the week: Caramel Brownies

Did you know that brownies have been around since the beginning of the 19^th century –  who’d have thought it? We thought they were just a sweet treat developed to keep hungry kids quiet at lunch. There are many myths surrounding the development of the brownie – the most interesting being that the chef forgot to add the flour in the chocolate cake he was making and so the brownie was born.  Traditionally a square flat cake – brownies can either be cakey or gooey depending on their density. Both blondies and brownies are basically the same just one has chocolate and the other doesn’t.  You can add anything you want to your brownie recipe, both sweet (cherries) or savoury (thyme). The original brownie recipe contained walnuts and was topped with an apricot glaze. We like ours plain and simple with the clever addition of a layer of condensed milk running through the middle to help with the gooeey centre experience.

Caramel Brownies

Serves: 4-6 
Cooking time: 1 hour

What you will need: 

2 eggs
200g plain flour
200g soft brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
150g dark chocolate (melted)
100g butter (melted)
6 tbsp condensed milk
1tsp salt

What you need to do:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl mix together the dry ingredients . When combined add in the eggs and butter. Give this a good stir and when incorporated add in the melted chocolate.
3. Give the mix a good stir to incorporate the chocolate properly and spoon half into the loaf tin. Smooth out and spoon on the condensed milk and smooth again. Top with the rest of the mix and place in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.
4. When cooked remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
5. Eat either warm or cooled, both are as delicious as each other. A perfect combination is vanilla ice-cream topped with a good sprinkle of cinnamon and a nice chunk of brownie – delicious.

Bethany Stone