I know many people think that chocolate brownies are one of the most over-hyped cake(y) substances known to man. That and macarons. And cupcakes. Probably also whoopie pies.
Killjoys.
Although in fairness, I’m inclined to agree on the macaron front, I mean wtf are they all about anyway? They’re like suped-up communion wafers that weld themselves to the backs of your teeth while simultaneously scouring your soft palette so fiercly, you can’t consume a hot drink for a month without whimpering. Sure, they look pretty but I ain’t shallow. Much.
But brownies… A good chocolate brownie is heavenly, and if you think they’re overrated, I’d hazard a guess that you’ve been buying yours from Costa Coffee for too long.
I’d also like it to be known that I’m squarely in the fudgy-is-best camp when it comes to brownies. If I wanted a “cakey” brownie, I’d go buy a fucking cake.
Anyway, I found a jar of slightly-out-of-date Marshmallow Fluff that I’d bought purely for the novelty factor and promptly forgot to use, so I googled for some recipes but didn’t like the sound of anything that was coming up on the search.
Instead, I decided to make a batch of my favourite brownies, omit my usual chocolate/fudge pieces and marble some swirly Fluff into the baking tin instead.
For the Brownies (makes 12 – use a smaller tin or double the quantities for a 30cm long tin)
140g butter, softened
190g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
50g cocoa powder
50g self-raising flour
1/2tsp baking powder
Chuck all of the ingredients (yes, all at once – another reason I love this recipe), into a bowl and mix until combined and smooth. Don’t overmix, you just want to get everything together and looking glossy.
Spoon the mixture into a greased tin and use a spatula to spread it across the surface.
For the Fluff topping
50g Marshmallow Fluff
20g butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Add the topping ingredients into a bowl and beat with a whisk until combined, you can add a tsp of water to thin the consistency if needed. It should be smooth, silky but not “runny”.
Spoon the topping over the (uncooked) brownie mixture in tsp-sized “blobs” and use a skewer (I only had a straw to hand) to “marble” the topping.
Bake in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees/160 fan) for around20/25 minutes. Test with a knife to check if it’s done and if you’ve got any leftover “topping” mixture, you know what you need to do – don’t you?
Overall, they’re not my best experiment to be honest. The brownie is definitely more fudgy than cakey and the Marshmallow Fluff, whilst it adds a teeny bit of chew to the topping… doesn’t add much else. I’d suggest adding a crap-ton more than I did and to hell with whether it marbles or not. Also, don’t leave out the chocolate and/or fudgy pieces… these are definitely more cakey than fudgy. Bother.
Having said all that, they’re still nice. They’re just not better than my usual recipe which I’ll post here sometime closer to Halloween.
Did you get your “bake” on last weekend?
never been a fan of cupcake (for me it’s just a visual thing and when you eat it, it’s just dry sponge with a fancy decoration) but I cannot resist a brownie. Brownie are my favourite chocolate cakes ever and I even prefer it to black forest gateau. This would be very hard to resist if I had it lying around in my house. Love the white marbled pattern on it. My nail enthusiast thought it looked like water marbled nails 🙂 liloo/@tsunimee xx
I missed a trick! I should have dipped my nails in the brownie mixture before top-coating! That would have been a NOTD sorted right there! 😉
Wait, I thought flapjacks were your ultimate treat?!
I don’t really like brownies but these look delicious. What does fluff taste like? I baked “Luscious lemon drizzle cake” this weekend and it’s already been polished off. Cakes never remain here for long in my house xx
Lemon drizzle cake is my all time favourite cake. EVER. EVER EVER. I quite like Tana Ramsey’s recipe.
Fluff is a bit too sweet… but the texture is nice and it does taste a lot like melty marshmallow. I thought it would taste SO synthetic, in a “we’re pretending to taste like marshmallow” kinda way. But it’s alright.
I wouldn’t buy it again though… apparently spreading it ontop of peanut butter (in a sandwich) is nice? *vom face*
I LOVE a good brownie – defined as ‘fudgy and moist with a crackly top, could be a bit raw in the middle!’- David Lebowitz and Nigella Lawson have the best recipes I’ve found and you have to use dark chocolate as well as cocoa powder for good brownies. For add ons, I like cream cheese brownies or peanut butter brownies the best! So yummy and the both add a savoury kick that allows you to… eat more brownies!
That’s the thing – it really missed a bit of goo. I thought the fluff might have provided the goo but there wasn’t enough of it (either that or Fluff is just a bit rubbish). Do you know, I’ve never cooked with peanut butter. Never. What’s your favourite peanut butter recipe?
I want a brownie.
Make a brownie (or 24)
Yes, I want a brownie too. Between you and David Lebovitz http://www.davidlebovitz.com this morning I am yearning for chocolate gooeyness! 🙂
Good god Lisa, see all those little chocs on the counter? *imagines swimming in them (mouth open)* Thanks for that link!
This is something that has been bothering me for a little while and I feel that I need to say it now. I find your use of bad language in your blog posts quite off-putting. Do you really need to use the f word when talking about cake?
Hi Andrea,
I walk a fine line between blogging for “myself” and blogging for an “audience”. My most fiercly protected blogging trait is that I censor myself as little as possible, both in opinion and in the way I write. I don’t just mean with swearing, but simply the way I endeavour to blog as I would “chat” with a close friend.
I suppose that I fall foul of forgetting that it’s just not always like that out there on the big wide web. Plus, I am a bit passionate about cake. Still, I’m sorry if I caused offence and I appreciate your feedback.
I completely respect the fact that you write for yourself and I have actually always enjoyed your writing style (I am a long-time reader of your blog). It’s just that as a complete non-swearer I sometimes find the F word a bit much in such posts. I am passionate about cake too (and will be trying out these brownies this weekend, thanks!) but I suppose we all express ourselves in different ways.
Thank you for your response.
They look good to me, but I would say brownies always look good to me. My mother makes this amazing marble brownie recipe with cream cheese instead for the white area and it’s like a chocolate brownie cheesecake heaven!
That sounds amazing, does she sweeten the cream cheese first do you know?
Next time you’re out and about around London, pop into Paul A Young hand made chocolates shop in Soho and grab one of their brownies. Proper ‘oh my god’ with every bite I promise!
These look so delish!
Brownies are one of the only things I can make really well, I’m a brownie pro! Usually I marble so cream cheese in to make a kinda cheese cake brownie. Definitely going to try fluffing it!
Thick, fudgy brownies gross me out! I got a stomach virus on the same day I ate a bunch of brownies and was sick as a dog. I don’t think the brownies caused it, but I’ve had a bad association in my mind ever since!
‘If I wanted a “cakey” brownie, I’d go buy a fucking cake.’
I would wear this sentiment on a t-shirt, swearing and all. Because that is exactly how I feel.
I made a huge batch of brownies the other day- they were amazing, chewy and rich.I definitely prefer the fudgy variety- cakey brownies are not much more than chocolate cakes.
These look delicious! The best brownies I have ever made have been following the recipe at the end of this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/sep/09/how-to-make-perfect-brownies
They’re more of an effort to make than yours, but they’re fudgey and chocolately and just perfect. My friends are always asking me to make them for them now! 🙂