Not quite Chocolate Brownies

Homemade Chocolate Brownies

When the kids want to bake we usually make small cakes, however this time we decided to make chocolate brownies. However things didn’t go quite to plan as we didn’t have all the necessary ingredients.

The basis for my recipe was this one from BBC Food.

Ingredients for twenty brownies

375g/13oz butter, plus extra for greasing
375g/13oz dark chocolate
6 free-range eggs
350g/12oz caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
225g/8oz plain flour
1 tsp salt
250g/9oz white chocolate, chopped
2 tsp icing sugar

The problem we had was that the only chocolate we had in the house was milk chocolate, oh and we only had three eggs!

In the end I decided to use the following ingredients.

6½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
6½oz milk chocolate
3 free-range eggs
6oz caster sugar
½ tbsp vanilla extract
4oz plain flour
4oz milk chocolate chopped

I preheated my oven to 180°C.

I put some baking sheet and greased it with some butter before placing it in a baking tin.

Placing a bowl on a saucepan of simmering water I added the butter and the milk chocolate.

Once this had melted, I set it aside to cool slightly. I whisked up in another bowl the eggs sugar and vanilla extract. I added the butter and chocolate mixture and whisked this up.

I then folded in the flour until it was combined and then stirred in the chopped chocolate.

I poured the mixture into the baking tin and baked it in the oven for about 25 minutes.

After letting it cool for a while, but whilst the brownies were still warm I cut it into squares.

Not quite like proper brownies, but still very nice.

Screme Eggs!!!

It’s not even Christmas, let alone Easter, and there are chocolate eggs already on sale in my local shops!

These are not Creme Eggs, they are Screme Eggs!!!

Obviously produced and on sale for Halloween I am not sure though what eggs have to do with Halloween. Chocolate pumpkins I could understand, but green eggs…

Trying to expand their market beyond Easter methinks… what next Christmas Eggs?

Chocolate Scans


So do you enjoy eating chocolate bars?

Have you ever wondered what was inside them? Well more did you ever wonder what the inside of them looked like?

Nope me neither…

But wonder no more!

For all those people who like chocolate http://scandybars.tumblr.com/

Chocolate Cake

The recipe for this delicious chocolate cake is from the BBC Good Food magazine.

Ingredients

175g softened butter , plus extra for greasing

175g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

140g self-raising flour

85g ground almonds

½ tsp baking powder

100ml milk

4 tbsp cocoa powder

50g plain chocolate chips or chunks few extra chunks white, plain and milk chocolate , for decorating

Making CakeHeat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 2lb/900g loaf tin with a long strip of baking parchment. To make the loaf cake batter, beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, flour, almonds, baking powder, milk and cocoa until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips, then scrape into the tin. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden, risen and a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the tin, then lift out onto a wire rack over some kitchen paper. Melt the extra chocolate chunks separately in pans over barely simmering water, or in bowls in the microwave, then use a spoon to drizzle each in turn over the cake. Leave to set before slicing.

I found that I needed to cook it for longer than 45 mins, taking about an hour in the end. I also split the mixture between two loaf tins.

Double chocolate loaf cake

The recipe for this delicious chocolate cake is from the BBC Good Food magazine.

Ingredients

175g softened butter , plus extra for greasing

175g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

140g self-raising flour

85g ground almonds

½ tsp baking powder

100ml milk

4 tbsp cocoa powder

50g plain chocolate chips or chunks few extra chunks white, plain and milk chocolate , for decorating

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 2lb/900g loaf tin with a long strip of baking parchment. To make the loaf cake batter, beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, flour, almonds, baking powder, milk and cocoa until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips, then scrape into the tin. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden, risen and a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the tin, then lift out onto a wire rack over some kitchen paper. Melt the extra chocolate chunks separately in pans over barely simmering water, or in bowls in the microwave, then use a spoon to drizzle each in turn over the cake. Leave to set before slicing.

I found that I needed to cook it for longer than 45 mins. I also used less milk than 100ml.

I also used extra white chocolate as I had run out of plain chocolate.

Eating chocolate is depressing

Do you eat chocolate to make yourself  feel better?

Maybe not the best idea!

People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found.

Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.

Read more.

Picture source.

Which is better value?

So which is better value, you tell me?

Buy one get free or half price?

Sainsburys have tins of Roses for £10, buy one get one free.

Whilst Tesco are doing the same tins of Roses for half price, £5.

So which is better value?

Green and Blacks’ Dark

Decided to give Green and Blacks another try. Not sure why as I didn’t enjoy the chocolate that much the last time I had it.

I do like dark chocolate and I do like the 70%  style of dark chocolate (or should that be plain chocolate).

I did eat it, thought it was okay, but really think I prefer other dark chocolate. There was too much of a cherry or fruit flavour for my liking.

How do you make 40m Easter eggs?


Easter Eggs

Really nice and interesting video from BBC News on how Cadbury make their 40m Easter Eggs (50% of the UK market).

Easter is one of the most popular times of year for chocolate-makers and it has been revealed that despite the current economic downturn, confectionery sales in 2009 have continued to rise, with predictions of record sales this Easter.

Watch the video.

Interesting is how in other markets, the US and Europe, they prefer chocolate bunnies and chicks, whilst in the UK market we prefer chocolate eggs.

Photo source.

Gü Chocolate Trifle Again

Generally I don’t like shop made trifles, as in the main there is an articial taste to them, particularly chocolate trifles. The cream always has a tang to it that I really don’t like.

Generally I don’t have the time and patience to make my own (and also I am the only person in the house who likes trifle, so making a big one is not on the cards either).

Recently I  bought a three pack of Gü Chocolate Trifles enjoyed them then, so I have bought them again!

Enjoyed them again.