Heavenly Raspberry Brownies

I had an amazing raspberry brownie while I was in New Zealand (from an AMAZING coffee shop called Joe’s Garage – if you go to NZ, find your nearest one and get their pikelets (pancakes) for breakfast!). When I got back, I just had to have a go at making my own! You can use fresh raspberries (which are better) but frozen raspberries will do in a pinch. Just be very very delicate when you stir them in. And the most important thing of all is DO NOT overcook them! They should be squidgy!

You will need:

• 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 180g unsalted butter, chopped
• 350g caster sugar
• 150g plain flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries (if you’re using frozen, take them out of the freezer 10 mins before you start making the brownies. You want them to be a bit defrosted, but not too squishy so that they completely disintegrate!)

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C. Grease a 9″ x 13″ pyrex dish or brownie pan with butter, marg or cake release.
2. Pop the butter and dark chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and melt together in the microwave. You have to watch it like a hawk and take it out every 10-20 seconds to stir it and ensure it’s not burning. Warm it until it’s melted, smooth and glossy. You can always do it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water if you’re unsure.
3. Mix in the sugar until well combined, then add the flour and stir with a metal spoon until fully mixed. Stir in the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.
4. Next, very carefully add in your raspberries. Stir very very gently so they don’t break up too much. Alternatively, you can pour half the mix into the pan, scatter the raspberries and pour the rest of the mix over the top.
5. When the mix is in the pan, bake in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. You want the top to be lightly flakey and the inside to be soft and fudgey. Whatever you do, do NOT over cook them. They might appear very slightly underdone but that’s what makes them so tasty!
6. You can dust them with icing sugar to serve if you like, or you can keep them au naturale. These ones are particularly nice with a bit of yoghurt and a decent coffee!

Enjoy!