Recipe: Easy Easter Brownies

03/04/2020

Bored at home and in need of an Easter treat to boost your mood? Kirsten Murray has you covered.

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Image by Hans Braxmeier

By Kirsten Murray

There are many stories surrounding the origin of the brownie and how these fudgy sweet treats ended up in our kitchens today. One story suggests they were invented in 1905, by Fanny Farmer who made her chocolate cookie recipe in a rectangular tray and then cut it into brownie pieces. Other stories tell of a chef who mistakenly added melted chocolate to some biscuit mixture, or a cook who didn’t have enough flour for her cake but baked it anyway- whichever one is true, somehow the brownie was born and is still a more popular treat than ever in today’s society.

Brownies are a certified crowd pleaser and if ever I am in doubt over what to bake, I always turn to the classic brownie. They are such a diverse bake as you can add so many different things to them, a few of my favourites being White Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies, Fudge Brownies or Berry Brownies (you can usually buy small bags of berry mix in the dried fruit section of a supermarket, and these provide great bursts of juicy sweetness in a brownie)!  But today I thought I’d provide you with a recipe for a seasonal Easter Brownie.

We are currently living in some crazy, almost apocalyptic times and with many of us feeling fearful and uncertain, these brownies are the perfect pick me up for some joy in this period. Not only do these brownies taste amazing, with the country in lockdown it is the perfect time to learn a new skill. There’s no better time to try out a new recipe, and have yourself some yummy quarantine snacks by the end of it! It’s important at this time to look after our mental health and make sure we take a step back from the news headlines, which can be scary and worrying and take some time for ourselves.

Personally, I find baking helps me destress and shutting myself in the kitchen, putting some music on and whipping up some treats relieves my anxieties and helps me focus my mind on something else.  Even if you aren’t a baker, now is your time to try it out, and these brownies are super easy and quick to make. They combine the classic brownie with tonnes of Easter eggs (literally use whatever your favourites are)! This recipe is also slightly cheaper as it uses cocoa powder instead of dark chocolate which can be expensive in supermarkets.

Ingredients

120g butter (baking spread, like Stork, is perfect for making brownies)
300g sugar
2 eggs
90g cocoa powder
80g mini Easter eggs (e.g. mini eggs, smarties eggs or whatever you fancy! I made a
batch with Galaxy Golden Eggs which gave them a nice crunch as well!)
120g self-raising flour
2 tbsp water
Pinch of salt
2 or 3 Easter Eggs (e.g. Crème eggs or Caramel etc)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 C, and grease your brownie tin. Mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs and mix until combined
3. Add the cocoa powder and salt until combined and the cocoa powder is evenly distributed
4. Fold in the flour and mix until just combined, don't overmix
5. Add a tablespoon of water until you have a smooth mixture
6. Add your Easter treats (I used mini eggs and broken pieces of Cadbury Oreo Chocolate)
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out and top with crushed Easter eggs (I used a Cadbury Caramel Egg and an Oreo Egg). Break them into reasonable chunks and sink them into the almost baked brownie.
8. Bake for a further 5 minutes. When it is done, the top should be starting to crack and a knife inserted in the centre should come out a bit gooey (if its too gooey bake for a further few minutes, but it will firm up a bit as it cools).
9. Eat and enjoy! For an even more delish dessert, serve warm with ice cream.

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