Brownie Baking Tips

Our answer

Nigella's Brownies (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) are gooey brownies studded with chopped walnuts. The brownies are made with melted dark (bittersweet) chocolate and we would suggest using the best quality chocolate that you can and if possible go for one with cocoa solids of 70% for the deepest chocolate flavour. Chop the chocolate into even-sized, small chunks so that it melts easily and use room temperature butter for the same reason. When melting the chocolate and butter, do this on a very low heat and watch carefully as chocolate can burn easily; chocolate melts at 30-32°C so you don't need a fierce heat. You can stir gently from time to time as the mixture melts and we would also suggest removing the pan from the heat while there are still a couple of bits of unmelted chocolate left, as these will melt in the residual heat of the pan and it reduces the risk of the mixture getting too hot.

When baking the brownies, be careful not to bake them for too long otherwise they will be dry rather than squidgy. As ovens vary we would suggest that you start checking the brownies after the first 20 minutes of baking and check regularly (about every 3 minutes) after that. When the brownies are baked they will be dry on top and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out with damp crumbs attached (but not raw batter). Let the brownies cool completely in the tin before trying to cut or remove them from the tin.