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'Brownies in a Bag'

Why not gift your family and friends some 'Brownies in a Bag' this Christmas? Delicious, fudgy, intense chocolate squares with a hint of salt and chunks of milk chocolate littered throughout each square. Soft and gooey on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside – brownie love heaven.

Makes 9 or 16

Course afternoon tea, Cake, Dessert, Morning Coffee
Keyword brownies, cake, Chocolate, Christmas gifts
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

For more information about ‘Brownies in a Bag’, please see http://www.daffodilkitchen.com/brownies-in-a-bag/

How to prepare ‘Brownies in a Bag’

  • 200g dark chocolate, 74% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
  • 100g soft brown sugar
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g plain/all-purpose flour (or, you can use ground almonds or gluten free flower, if necessary)
  • 25g unsweetened cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 100g add ins such as chopped milk chocolate, Oreo cookies, chopped pecan nuts, Aero Bar, Chocolate Caramel Bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

How to make brownies using ‘Brownies in a Bag’

  • Brownies in a Bag
  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs

Instructions

How to prepare ‘Brownies in a Bag’

  1. Collect together your equipment and ingredients.

  2. Break up the 200g dark chocolate, transfer to a plastic bag, seal with a sticker and label number 1.

  3. Place a jug onto the weighing scales and weigh in both the sugars.

  4. Stir well and pour into another plastic bag. Seal with a sticker and label number 2.

  5. Put a sieve over the jug, zero the scales, and weigh in the flour, cocoa, coffee and salt.

  6. Sieve into the jug, mix well and pour into another plastic bag. Seal with a sticker and label number 3.

  7. Chop up your chosen add ins – I used chopped milk chocolate. Transfer into a final plastic bag, seal with a sticker and label number 4.

  8. Place all 4 bags in your gift bag and remember to include these recipe instructions.

How to make brownies using ‘Brownies in a Bag’

  1. Collect together your equipment and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to fan oven 170°C /190°C/375°F/Gas 5

  3. Chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate from Bag 1. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie or and mix until smooth. (See Recipe Notes for details.)

  4. Break your eggs into a mixing bowl and tip in the sugar from Bag 2.

  5. Whisk with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. This will take around 3 minutes.

  6. Pour the chocolate and butter into the eggs and sugar and mix thoroughly with the electric whisk until smooth and glossy.

  7. Tip in the contents of Bag 3 and fold until nearly mixed in.

  8. Add the chopped milk chocolate/add ins from Bag 4 and fold in. Be careful not to over-mix at this stage.

  9. Transfer to your baking tin and level the surface, making sure the cake batter goes all the way into the corners.

  10. Cook in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, depending on how squidgy you like the centre to be. It will carry on cooking when you take it out of the oven so bear this in mind. (I cook mine for 23 minutes.)

  11. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then, using the overhanging parchment, transfer the brownies to a cooling rack – do not remove the parchment, they will be too fragile.

  12. Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

  13. Happy Christmas!

Recipe Notes

Equipment to make the 'Brownies in a Bag':

  • Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • Sieve
  • jug or bowl
  • plastic bags and stickers
  • gift bag – I use paper bags or hessian bags
  • print off these instructions

Equipment to make the brownies:

  • Large microwave safe jug or heatproof bowl
  • Electric whisk and mixing bowl
  • Chopping board and knife
  • 20cm/8inch square baking tin lined with baking parchment

Be very careful melting the chocolate. 

Chocolate can be very difficult to work with. You can overheat it very easily and the mixture will go grainy. When this happens, there is no way to resolve it I’m afraid!

Microwave: I give the chocolate and butter a minute in the microwave, take it out and stir it well, then let it sit for a few minutes to see if it continues melting sufficiently to melt all the chocolate. If not, I then continue with the microwave but in 10 – 15 second bursts.

Bain Marie: if you do not have a microwave, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter are very nearly melted then take it off the heat and take the bowl off the saucepan. Be very careful not to burn yourself as the bowl will be hot and steam will escape from the saucepan. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes for the residual heat to melt the remainder of the mixture. Again, be careful not to over-heat.