Tuck Shop Brownie

As you might have guessed by now, I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I don't really have the precision or patience to be a good baker, but for this brownie I will go the extra mile. This stuff was legendary at school, and luckily for you (and my hungry flatmates), I managed to wangle the recipe off a friend's mum who worked in the tuck shop. NB: for those of you who have the Dio recipe book, this is a different recipe, THIS is the gooey, fudgey, delicious original.

It's not what I'd call particularly healthy, but hey- you can't live on chia seeds and goji berries alone (not that I ever eat either...). But, despite it's somewhat less than ideal calorie index, this brownie stubbornly remained on the tuck shop menu while all the lollies, fizzy drinks and pies were slowly replaced by salads and sushi. A smart move from the school who probably realised they would face a frenzied mob of angry teenage girls should it be removed. 

I made this batch on Sunday at Alice's house, and we basically just lazed around all afternoon eating brownie mix and then the finished product, warm and fresh from the oven.

But, before I get ahead of myself to the finished product, lets start with the recipe.

• 250 grams butter
• 1 1/2 cups cocoa
• 2 1/4 cups caster sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup standard flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 block of dark chocolate (approx 250 grams), chopped up
• Icing sugar to sprinkle (optional)

Line a 12 by 10 inch baking tray, and heat your oven to 180C bake.

Melt the butter, and mix with the cocoa in a large bowl.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and caster sugar to the bowl and stir well. 

Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture. Finally, add the chocolate and mix everything together.

Pour into the lined tin, and bake for about 40 minutes until firm to touch on the edges, but still soft in the middle. Make sure you check on it about 25 minutes in though- all ovens are different and some get a bit eager to hit the mark early. 

Now this is where it gets complicated, I know it looks ready, but you need to wait about 10-15 minutes to let the brownie cool in the tin before you sprinkle icing sugar over top and slice it up.

When you can't wait any longer, and the brownie is iced and sliced, pour yourself a cup of tea or a glass of milk, and eat your heart out. Come on...you know it looks better than your flaxseed granola goji quinoa.