:: Best Ever Brownies ::

Triple Chocolate Nutella Brownies

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: triple chocolate nutella brownies with an easy salted caramel sauce ::

For some reason, I have always felt a special connection to brownies. It’s as if every time I make the soft & fudgy chocolaty delight, it somehow makes me a little bit more American - making me closer to my mother's Southern Kentucky roots. Silly, I know, but I feel so proud when I make a traditional American dish – feeling my ancestors smile down on me from above.

These brownies are not from my grandmother’s traditional recipe bank, as hers are more cake-like consistency & my mother has told me that back in the day my version of brownies would be considered “under-cooked”. However, times have changed & the delicious fudgy goodness of this recipe will help put a delectable smile on any Americans face. Originally inspired by a taste.com.au recipe, I have altered it to make it my very own. With the addition of Nutella to the chocolate mixture then finishing it off with half dark chocolate/half white chocolate chunks, this has made them into triple chocolate brownies! My husband loves them, my toddler loves them & everyone at work loved them. A co-worker of mine even went as far as to say that they were the best brownies she had ever tasted! Well, I might just have to agree…

chocolate batter

180g butter, cubed

200g dark cooking chocolate, broken into pieces

¾ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted

¾ cup plain flour, sifted

brownie features

3 heaped Tbs Nutella (chocolate & hazelnut spread)

100g white cooking chocolate, chopped into large chunks

100g dark cooking chocolate, chopped into large chunks

:: mixing through chocolate goodness ::

Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare an 18cm sharp edged square cake tin by greasing & lining with parchment paper. Place the broken chocolate & butter in a heatproof bowl. Position the bowl over a saucepan containing water (creating a double boiler) on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is completely smooth. Remove from the heat & place on the bench top to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, & flour in a mixing bowl & stir until just combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture, stir, then add the Nutella, white & dark chocolate chunks & mix well. Pour the mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes; keep in mind that they are meant to be soft & fudgy in the middle. Cool completely in the baking tin then place into the fridge to set. Cut into desired sizes & serve!

optional extra: easy salted caramel sauce (see below)

:: super easy salted caramel sauce ::

easy salted caramel sauce (optional)

60g unsalted butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

150ml thickened cream

½ tsp sea salt flakes (I like Murray River Pink Salt)

            + plus some extra to sprinkle on top

Gently melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar & stir until sugar has just melted. Then add the vanilla bean paste & carefully add the cream in small amounts so that the sugar doesn’t seize. Add sea salt to taste. Set aside in the saucepan until serving time.

:: the perfect brownie feature - chocolate chunks ::

Kitchen Notes

:: You can add/swap the brownie features to create your own individual brownies, these might include- 100g toasted hazelnuts, 100g macadamias, 100g craisins, 100g broken Marie biscuits, etc. Just make sure your “features” total 200 grams. Use your imagination as the list is endless!

:: Don’t add the chocolate chunks or eggs to a hot chocolate mixture. It can cause the chocolate chunks to melt into the batter or the eggs to scramble.

:: You can easily make brownie muffins – spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins lined with feature paper muffin patties. Cook for 18-20 minutes & cool. Spoon a small amount of salted caramel on top & chill. Once chilled, sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Perfect to impress for a picnic or day out!

:: The salted caramel sauce is my go to for any dessert dish – anything from sticky date puddings to ice cream. Be careful not to let the caramel bubble too much on the stovetop. It may thicken too much & become like a chewy toffee or crystallise, rather than a smooth sauce.

:: If you like a creamier caramel, simply add more cream.

:: To eat: Cold Brownies straight from the fridge in Summer, ah-mazing!

:: tucking in to delicious, fudge like brownies with a chocolate crunch ::

Style

:: When serving, pour the salted caramel over the top of the brownies in front of your guests for a “WOW!” effect. Finish off with a sprinkle of sea salt, roughly broken nuts & a spoonful of double cream.

:: Nuts About Chocolate Cupcakes (GF) ::

Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cupcakes (GF)

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: chocolate & hazelnut cupcakes with chocolate ganache + roasted hazelnut ::

My husbands old uni friend runs a modest coffee stand called "Dose Espresso" at the Olive Tree Markets & every first Saturday of the month we pay Andrew a visit. He & his business partner, Seamus, make amazing coffee which patrons line up patiently for. Admittedly, they don't take our money when we offer it to them & this started to weigh on my mind as the complimentary coffees were starting to stack up.
One Saturday I said "I will have to bake you something to pay for all these gorgeous coffees!" He thought I was joking & embellished the thought. "Ummmm, muffins..." he said thinking hard. "No, cupcakes! Chocolate ones! Oh, & make sure that Mick brings them in a basket, all pretty & very un-manly!!!" he decided, laughing to himself. Well, I wasn't going to let all those coffees go unpaid for so the following market date I set to baking. The best chocolate recipe that came to mind was Mick's favourite Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake recipe, which I have blogged previously, but this time I decided to make it into some gorgeous  cupcakes. I piped on a bubble of chocolate ganache & placed a roasted hazelnut on top. Pretty & perfect, as requested. Oh, I also made a batch of ever so quick & easy blueberry & apple muffins, of course!
The hot muffins went into a lovely basket laced with a tea towel & the cupcakes went into one of my favourite Nigella Lawson baking tins (in pale blue, naturally). Mick proudly carried them up to Andy & the look of amazement on his face was fantastic. "I seriously was kidding!" he exclaimed. But that night we got a text, "We are not worthy..." & were later told that people were asking if the muffins & cupcakes were for sale, but the boys ate them all that day. Maybe one day....

240g dark cooking chocolate, broken into pieces

150g unsalted butter, cubed

270g brown sugar

125g hazelnut meal (finely ground hazelnuts)

6 large eggs, separated

to dust

1 tbs cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare 2 cupcake tins lined lined with roughly 18 liners. Put the butter & broken chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan on low heat with simmering water, & stir constantly until mixture is completely melted & smooth. Sit on the bench to cool slightly whilst you prepare your other ingredients.

Add the sugar & hazelnut meal to the chocolate mixture & combine until there are no lumps. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring well between each one. In a separate bowl, whisk your egg whites until firm peaks form, then gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Make sure that the mixture is just combined but there are no large white foamy lumps in the mixture as they will rise to the surface of your cake making bubbles.

Spoon the mixture into prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 20-22 minutes; until just firm. Keep in mind that this recipe is meant to be soft & fudge-like in the middle, so don’t panic if it looks underdone. Leave to cool completely in the tins before removing (this is essential!)

Source

:: I sourced my Donna Hay logo cupcake liners from the General Store, but they are also available from David Jones.

Chocolate Ganache

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

I chose to top my cupcakes with a slightly chilled basic chocolate ganache & an "Alice" inspired roasted hazelnut perched proudly on top. I pulled back on the cream quantity as I wanted the ganache to hold a solid form.

:: deliciously moist cupcakes, you have to try these! ::

Ganache

110 grams good quality dark chocolate
60 ml warm cream
40 grams butter

Combine together over a double boiler until smooth & glossy. Chill in the refrigerator, stirring every few minutes, until desired piping consistency, then pipe onto cupcakes. If piping seems a little daunting, simply dollop with a teaspoon for a rustic look. Top with roasted hazelnut.

Kitchen Notes

:: If you don't have a double boiler, I simply use a saucepan filled with water & a stainless steel bowl over a stove on low heat. Place your chocolate in the stainless steel bowl & voila!

:: To roast the hazelnuts, I simply put some whole hazelnuts on a tray & roasted them on an oven at 180°C (350°F) for 6-7 minutes.

:: It’s got to be (gluten) free ::

Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake (GF)

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: flourless chocolate & hazelnut cake (gf) w/max brenner crunchy chocolate marbles ::

I first decided to make this recipe for my friend, Linda, who is a coeliac & cannot have a number of ingredients that are in my pantry, namely gluten. I was going through my recipe index in my head one day when she was over for a coffee & I decided that I needed to start afresh. When I made this successfully first go, I called her excitedly, “can you have a flourless chocolate & hazelnut cake?” I asked. “I think so,” she said “I will come over tonight!”.

Well, needless to say the cake was a hit, she loved it & it is now a favourite in our house, flourless or not. It is so easy that I recently made it for Mick’s birthday along with an Orange & Poppyseed Cake for his work, & then again a few days later for a fundraising tea party for the Jane McGrath Breast Cancer Foundation. You could not get an easier more decadent cake to make. You don’t need icing, just a dusting of cocoa powder & double cream to serve. It cools in the pan so you can travel with it in the tin, taking it out when you are ready to display it. I have been asked for this recipe a countless number of times & it is my number one chocolate cake at the moment, so thank you Linda for the inspiration!

240g dark cooking chocolate, broken into pieces

150g unsalted butter, cubed

270g brown sugar

125g hazelnut meal (finely ground hazelnuts)

6 large eggs, separated

to dust

1 tbs cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Pre-prepare lined 22cm (9 inch) springform cake tin. Put the butter & broken chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan on low heat with simmering water, & stir constantly until mixture is completely melted & smooth. Sit on the bench to cool slightly whilst you prepare your other ingredients.

Add the sugar & hazelnut meal to the chocolate mixture & combine until there are no lumps. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring well between each one. In a separate bowl, whisk your egg whites until firm peaks form, then gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Make sure that the mixture is just combined but there are no large white foamy lumps in the mixture as they will rise to the surface of your cake making bubbles.

Spoon the mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 60mins; until just firm. Keep in mind that this cake is meant to be soft & fudgy in the middle, so don’t panic if it looks underdone. Leave to cool completely in the cake tin before removing (this is essential!)

:: a freshly made flourless chocolate & hazelnut cake (gf) ::

:: pouring the mixture into the preprepared cake tin ::

Style: Dust with cocoa powder & I sometimes like to add whole hazelnuts on top of the cake to make it look extra special. This particular time I had been to Max Brenner & purchased some praline chocolate wafer marbles & knew they would go perfectly with my cake.

:: Serve with double cream &/or baby mint leaves if you have them available.

:: measured hazelnut meal ::



:: melting butter & chocolate ::

Kitchen Notes: If you, by chance, ever find a chocolate recipe too sweet, try using some 70% cocoa dark chocolate in the mixture. You will get full chocolate flavour but the sweetness isn’t there.

:: This recipe is origionally from Bill Granger’s Holiday, adapted for my larger tin & very sweet tooth.

:: I find my Anolon 22cm cake tin a more accommodating slice for the density and sweetness of this chocolate cake.

:: cracking to a cake like this adds character ::

:: bill's holiday ::

Source: Bill Granger’s Holiday - You can purchase this book online with free postage by using the links provided 

Anolon Springform Cake Tin - You can purchase this product in DJ's & all good retailers or by following the links provided

Max Brenner - You can purchase his chocolate marbles in his Max Brenner Stores or by following the links provided

:: In search of the Chocolate Chip Cookie ::

Chocolate Chip Cookies

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: my chocolate chip cookies ::

I once had the joy of living down the road from the Arnott’s factory in Camperdown, Sydney. When there was a gentle south westerly at certain times of the day, the smell of freshly baked cookies would waft through the breeze & into our living room. This was heaven. I would often wake up from an afternoon nap on the couch dreaming of cookies & instantly call my mother, as hers were the best in town.

I then set myself to baking for my soon to be husband. I had very few cookbooks, but I was determined to master at least one recipe & it was going to be a cookie. Attempt #1, fail. Attempt #2, fail. Attempt #3, fail. The worst thing was I had no idea what I was doing wrong! At last Donna Hay’s new book was released, so I thought that I would give her chocolate chip cookies a trial run, and to my surprise, success!
These are now my most requested cookies by far. They are the perfect comfort cookie, snack cookie, mother’s group cookie, toddler cookie, get well cookie & afternoon tea cookie. I think the secret is the coconut in the mixture, making the final result a lighter, less dense cookie yet entirely fulfilling. I often make a double batch (quantities also included) as these cookies are so good that they disappear fast. So thank you Mr Arnott, Ms Donna Hay & last, but not least, my mother, for all the cookie inspiration that was needed for a young wife to be.
Over recent years I have adapted the recipe as I found the original mixture too dry & not chocolatey enough, so please enjoy my version of cookie perfection!

140 grams butter, softened

½ tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup of brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cups of desiccated coconut
230g chocolate chips (I like to use 130g dark chocolate chips, then 100g milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Line two large cookie trays with baking paper. Place the butter, sugar & vanilla paste into a bowl then beat with an electric mixer until light & creamy. Add eggs, one by one. Mix flour, baking powder, & coconut in a separate medium bowl, stir, then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add chocolate chips & combine.

Spoon dough out with large tablespoons onto the trays, leaving gaps between each one. Bake until the edges turn brown, around 12-14 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack using a spatula.

Makes 20+ large cookies.

Kitchen Notes: Make sure that your butter is at true room temperature, otherwise you will end up with a stiff mixture. Either leave your butter on the bench top for half an hour or quickly place it in the microwave for 10 sec, or until soft. If you get to the final step & you find that your mixture is extremely stiff for a cookie dough, add a little milk & combine.

:: I use Nestle or Cadbury (whichever is on special) chocolate chip packages for my cookies. You could also use a block of chocolate, broken into chunks.

:: dark & milk chocolate chips + dough ::

:: combining the chocolate into the dough ::

Style: I don’t know how I came across this method, I think it was out of desperation when I was making ANZAC cookies to send to my husband when he was deployed in Iraq. It was the first time I made them and they were round mound masses of oatey goodness. I whipped out a glass to squish them down & voila! Perfect ANZAC cookies!

:: flattening cookies into a traditional cookie shape ::

:: When the cookies turn slightly golden yellow (a few minutes from being cooked through), take them out of the oven and use a flat bottomed glass to “flatten” the cookies to give them a true uniform cookie shape, rather than a lump. Work fast, as this can only happen when the cookies are molten hot & malleable. Also have a wet paper towel on standby to wipe the bottom of your glass as all that melted chocolate can get messy! Put your cookies back in the oven for a further 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: my chocolate chip cookies ::

Recipe Doubled

280 grams butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 cups of brown sugar
4 large eggs
4 cups plain flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1½ cups of desiccated coconut
460g chocolate chips (I like to use 1 packet of dark chocolate chips, then remainder of milk chocolate chips)

Makes 40+ large cookies.
:: Follow the above instructions to make cookies.

:: cookie dough balls of chocoalte chip ::

I would also love to see your Megann's Kitchen Creations/photos of recipes that you have made on Megann’s Kitchen Facebook!