Black Forest Brownies - a là Nigella Lawson

I thought I'd make these brownies over the Easter break, but time got away from me.  Not that I did much, except eat and nap and read.  And I've still got a bacon recipe to put up, but that will have to wait.  Here's another recipe from Nigella's book Cook, Eat, Repeat.  I've said before that I really enjoy her prose, so I'm happy that there is a lot to read in this book of hers, as well as recipes.

And now for my shameful confession (I may have mentioned this before) - I love Nigella and her books, and I use her recipes often, but in person I found her a wee bit boring!  Sorry Nigella lovers!  I went with a friend to a live event where Nigella was in conversation with a local journalist.  Oh dear; just not what I was hoping for.  She is wonderful but ...

squidgy and herby and chocolatey ...

ingredients:

150g./5.3 oz dried cherries 

75 mL/2.5 oz kirsch or orange juice or booze of your choice

200g./7 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

200g./7 oz butter, chopped into chunks

100g./3.5 oz dark muscovado sugar

225g./8 oz caster sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

25g./0.88 oz cocoa

4 large eggs, at room temp.

100g./3.5 oz toasted hazelnuts, bashed into pieces

150g./5.3 oz plain flour

1 tsp rosemary needles, finely chopped

icing sugar (powdered sugar) for serving

Method:

Heat your oven to 180C/350F

Line a 23cm/9 inch square baking tin with baking paper

Put the cherries into a wee saucepan, add your liquid of choice and bring to the boil, stirring often.  Boil for a minute, then let them contemplate their navels (i.e. let 'em cool down)

Put the butter into a large saucepan, melt over a very low heat, then add the chocolate pieces and let it melt gently into the butter

Give it a stir when melted, then add the sugars, salt and cocoa; stir gently together and let it cool down

Break the eggs into a jug or bowl, and give it a good whisking

Pour the whisked eggs into the saucepan (gradually), give it a good stirring, then add the flour and whisk into the mixture

Add the cherries, hazelnuts and rosemary into the pan, fold them in, then pour into the lined tin

Bake for 25-30 minutes, till the edges start coming away from the sides of the tin, and a cake skewer thrust into its dark heart comes out with a few crumbs, but no raw batter lurking

Let it cool on a wire rack, then dust with icing sugar to serve - will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days

Notes:

I used sour dried cherries 'cos that's all I could find, but you could use a mix of dried cranberries and other dried fruit

I used spiced rum 'cos that's what I had, and I used Lindt chocolate 'cos that's what I bought:-)

Scrunch up the baking paper into a big ball; this will make it so easy to line your tin (when it's unravelled obvs)

I used my 20cm x 20cm tin (I don't have a bigger square tin), and it was fine - it just took another few minutes to cook

ingredients gathered

boil the cherries in booze or juice

crinkle up your baking paper to line the tin

whisk in the flour after the sugars, salt, cocoa and eggs

stir in the hazlnuts, cherries and rosemary

pour the batter into the lined tin

baked and now to cool

dust with icing sugar

© Sherry M.

(Joining in with Marg from Intrepid Reader for Weekend Cooking.)