‘Remember, remember the 5th of November’
In the spirit of bonfire night I decided to make popping – candy brownies as the popping sensation reminded me of the fireworks and bonfires that make this time of year so exciting!
Ingredients
250g caster sugar
75g cocoa powder (I used ‘Rowntree Cocoa’)
150g unsalted butter
Plain flour
2 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or essence
3 to 4 bars of Cadbury’s chocolate
Measure 250g of caster sugar and 75g of cocoa powder and sieve into a bowl. I used ‘Rowntree Cocoa’ but any brand would do.
Melt 150g of unsalted butter into a pan. Once melted, using a spatula, fold the butter in with the sugar and cocoa powder. The consistency will appear quite gritty but do not worry; the mixture will become much smoother when you add the eggs!
Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture. Then beat 2 large eggs and gradually add to the mix, stirring vigorously each time.
Once the eggs are combined with the sugar and cocoa, measure out plain flour and gradually fold it into the mixture. Make sure to sieve your flour as otherwise your brownies will not be as smooth.
The consistency of the mixture will be extremely thick (I bent my spatula whilst folding in the flour) but do not be alarmed – it is supposed to look like that.
Grease a tray with butter, or alternately line with greaseproof paper. Then slowly pour your brownie mixture into the tray, making sure to spread the mixture evenly with your spatula.
Now it is time for the popping candy! I chose to use Cadbury’s Marvellous Creations Popping Candy Shells in my recipe but you could easily substitute this for another chocolately treat (one of my favourites are mint areo brownies). Simply break the chocolate bars into chunks and place them generously within your brownie mix – you may have to re-spread some of your mixture which the chocolate displaces.
Now you are ready to bake! Place on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for around twenty minutes. Make sure to keep checking your brownies as the time needed may vary. (I made two batches and one took twenty minutes to cook, but the other only took fifteen)
To check they are done push a cocktail stick into the middle of the bake. The stick should come out mostly clean with a thin layer of chocolate on.
Leave the brownies to cool in the tray as they are easier to cut and remove whole once they are completely cooled. Cut the brownies into approximately twelve portions.
Et Voila – They are ready to eat!
These brownies were delicious; however the only downside that I must mention is that the popping candy lost some of its ‘pop’. However, the candy shells and the jelly pieces really improved the texture and taste of the brownies.
Hannah Conway
Image Sources:
1) http://www.cadbury.co.uk/products/Jelly-Popping-Candy-Shells-3760?p=3760
Rest are my own