Fudgey, gooey and oh so easy. What's the secret?
So there have been lots of trials and test on these and I am so excited to share them with you. When it comes to brownies there are certain criteria that need to be ticked (hear the teacher voice in me!). Firstly they need to be fudgey - that perfect balance of feeling dense and gooey and also light and airy. That is difficult to get right and rarely found in shop bought brownies or even in restaurants. Secondly a brownie should have that light, crispy top that is kind of crinkly and adds a certain sophistication. Thirdly, and obviously, a brownie needs to taste intensely of chocolate - deep, rich and sweet.
This recipe ticks all those boxes, I won't bore you with the details. But basically, the balance of the ingredients together with the technique of how to combine them in the right order gets this perfect texture. Small things like banging the mixture as you take it out of the oven all adds to the perfect brownie, so don't compromise on these steps. But this, my friends, is not the secret to this 'gooey secret brownie.'
That secret is mayonnaise. Yeah.
I promise you cannot taste it! What it does instead is add a lightness, whilst not compromising on the fudginess. I also realised, totally unintentionally, it means these are dairy-free (although not vegan because of the eggs).
Basically they are amazing and you have to try them!
Gooey Secret Brownies
Makes 16-20
Ingredients
3 eggs
180 g granulated sugar
45g g dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140 g dark chocolate
80 ml mayonnaise
40 g plain flour
25 g cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
(see notes for ingredient replacement and store cupboard substitutions below the method)
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 8x8 inch square cake tin (or 11 x 7 inch rectangular tin) and line it with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thickened and you see ribbons form when you lift the whisk from the bowl.
3. Meanwhile put the chocolate into a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and leave until melted. Once melted, stir in the mayonnaise and then add this to the egg-sugar mixture while still warm. Whisk in until just combined.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into the bowl and fold in carefully with a spatula, being sure not to beat any air out.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and place in the oven. After 10 minutes take out of the oven and bang on a work surface 3 times. Place back in the oven and bake for a further 8 minutes or until the top has gone crispy but the inside is still soft. A knife shouldn't come out clean, but the mixture also shouldn't be liquid still. Take out of the oven and bang a further 3 times the work surface. Leave to cool in the tin completely, place in the fridge for 1 hour - this makes them much easier to cut and even fudgier.
6. Cut into squares 16-20 (depending on how big you want them) and consume!
Notes, substitutions and variations:
Ovens: Ovens vary, so it may take longer or shorter depending on your own one. Check that the brownies are cooked, but they should still be slightly gooey in the middle.
Sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar, just go for white. This will still produce the lovely crispy top and gooey centre, the flavour is just a bit less intense. They are still delicious. Alternatively, play around with light brown sugar too. The main difference will the depth of flavour and the crispiness of the top layer.
Flour: For wheat free friends, cornflour works really well for a flour alternative, just use the same amount as normal flour. For gluten free people flour with ground almonds in the same quantities – my house mate likes these the best!
Some of my favourite variations:
Biscoff: A teaspoon of cinnamon in the mixture and swirl through 2 table spoons of slightly melted Biscoff spread through the mix before baking.
Nuts: Add chopped walnuts or pecans
Peanut butter and jam: swirl through before baking
Chocolate chips: obviously they’re going to be good – I think 150 g white chocolate works the best.