I really, really like Nigel Slater.
My friend Joanna of Zeb Bakes sent me one of his recipes over a year ago, and since that time we’ve become avid fans of this well-known English food writer, enjoying both his dvd and cookbooks.
I really, really like this brownie recipe. It comes from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen, and I’ve adapted it only slightly to suit the ingredients I had on hand.
The combination of dutched cocoa and 70% chocolate gives it a deep, not overly sweet flavour, and the large quantity of eggs ensures a light, almost moussy texture. Pete is less enamoured – he loves the flavour, but prefers his brownies to be dense and fudgy. He happily ate several pieces nonetheless!
Apologies to my US friends, but the original recipe was written in metric weights, rather than cup measures. I’ve included imperial weight conversions wherever possible.
- 300g (10.5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar (original recipe specified golden caster sugar)
- 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 250g (8.8oz) dark chocolate (70%) – I used Callebaut callets
- 3 large (59g) eggs, plus 1 extra yolk
- 60g (2oz) plain (AP) flour
- 60g (2oz) dutched cocoa (or the best quality cocoa you have)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
1. Line a 23cm square baking tin with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F or 160C/320F with fan.
2. Melt 200g/7oz of the chocolate, either in a pyrex bowl in the microwave on short bursts, or over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat as soon as the chocolate is melted. If you’re not using callets, chop the remaining chocolate into small pieces.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour and baking powder. Stir in a pinch of salt.
4. In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and yolk with a fork.
5. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter until very light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition.
6. Using a spatula, gently mix in both the melted chocolate and chocolate pieces, then carefully fold in the flour-cocoa mixture. Use a light touch, and try to keep as much air in the mix as possible.
7. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin, smooth the top, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out a little moist, but free of raw batter. The brownie will firm up on cooling, so be careful not to overbake it. Allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Chocolate brownies? Yes please! I was in your neck of the woods today. Should have, would have knocked on your door and begged had I known you were baking brownies!! :)
SG, there’s not a lot of flour in these – might be a good candidate for a GF conversion?
Thanks for mentioning me :)
Did you know that you can keep up with Nigel’s recipes and so on in the Sunday papers here ? http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/nigelslater There’s a webfeed thingy that I subscribe too on that page – he writes so well, even if you don’t cook the things he writes about, he’s always a pleasure to read. Those brownies look like classics, yum!
Have you ever made a treacle tart? I was thinking of making one for my Dad, who used to always buy them if we went in a cake shop.
Jo, thanks for pointing us to him in the first place! He really does write beautifully, it’s such an enjoyable read. Nigel describes the brownies as being thick as “Glastonbury mud” – not completely sure what that means, but I did love the analogy! Never made treacle tart…aaah, yet another thing to add to the list! :)
These look so rich – the sort of brownies we can only dream about at the moment! I’m with Pete, though – so much butter and sugar should make a dense brownie!
Suelle, I expected it to be lighter with all those eggs, but I was surprised how well it set and held its texture at room temp. Often very moussy recipes like that need to be kept in the fridge!
(Psssst…., Celia – Don’t worry about accommodating American cooks who can’t deal with metric – if they still haven’t made the shift, they really aren’t serious cooks anyway! Actually, by not coddling them, you’re helping them ‘catch up’ in the world of food.)
Hehe..Doc, I’m not writing for serious cooks. Nothing would make me happier than if someone who’d never baked before decided to try one of my recipes! And in that case, I’d love to make it as easy for them as possible! :)
I am going to make these! I can figure out the measurements – I like it that the chocolate is way over the flour content!
They sound like MY kind of brownies!
Heidi, I live the fact that they’re very dark, and not overly sweet. Easy to eat without feeling sick after the first! :)
Looks delicious. Will have to try. I was given Tender and just love it. There was a televised version of Toast shown in the UK over xmas. Think Helena Bonham Carter played his step-mother.
Think Miss E has it.
Yum! My last batch of brownies failed because I left out an ingredient. Made a nice cake though. I shall add this to the brownie list. Thanks!
Anna, I haven’t read Toast, just his cookbooks, but I’ll definitely look out for it now – thanks for the headsup! :)
Sue, hope you like them! :)
Hmmm I think I might be with Pete regarding brownie texture but Nigel does do chocolate well so I would definitely give this a go.
Not sure if you have access to the tv channel Channel4 4OD but you can see his old tv series here.
Gill, we bought his Simple Dinners dvd and loved it, but it’s never made it to free to air tv here. Pete and you are probably both right about brownie texture, but this is a very nice treat nonetheless. :)
Dense and fudgy or mousy, they look fab too me and I’d so love to get stuck into one now. One of the books CT got me for Christmas was NSs Tender vol 1, so am enjoying reading that at the moment.
Choc, I think, as Jo says, he’s just so readable. I haven’t made anything from Tender yet, but it’s great bedside table material! :)
How lovely! I also think these would make great gfree ones without any issues, just a straight flour swap. Do you think if I used brown rice flour and unrefined sugar to make it healthier that it would counteract the unhealthy calories form chocolate and sugar? I’m sure that makes sense, don’t you?
B, of course, that would make it healthy! hehehe…
Celia, we are just back yesterday from being away for almost the whole month of January and I am seriously in the the mood for baking. And I’d better do it today because we are predicted to be heating up big-time here in Adelaide.
I adore brownies and have dedicated much of my baking time to finding the perfect brownie recipe – resulting in many happy snacks and inches on my hips! I have this book of Nigel’s – I love his writing, too – so I will grab it and give this one a go. A very apt use for some of the 1 kilo bag of Callebaut cocoa I have brought home from Melbourne!
Amanda, such restraint! Only a kilo bag! I know what you mean about the hips though…sigh… ;-)
He’s got a few books doesn’t he. I would like to read Toast…
That brownie looks great. How does it compare to your super natural brownies, (as they were a hit last I made them!)
I may be brownie converted :-)
B, to me, the supernatural brownies and the fudge brownies are more “brownie-ish”. This recipe had a lighter texture, and a darker flavour – the latter particularly appealed to me!
I’m a big old sukka for the brownie, I’ve been known to polish off an entire tray (although admittedly, it did take me 3 days). How’s that for commitment :)
I have flicked through Nigels ‘Kitchen Diaries’ its a good one although I don’t own it, sounds like its passed the Celia/Pete test so I’ll keep an eye out for it. Thanks for sharing :)
With no oven of my own at the moment, and the sweltering hot weather I’ll have to put this great recipe in my memory bank of recipes…they look great! xx
Anna, three days! Well done you! hahaha…
The Kitchen Diaries book is interesting – it’s basically a day by day record of what he cooked and ate. As a result, some recipes are complicated, but many are simple and chatty, and talk about things like opening a jar of green olive paste and serving it on pasta. I like the chronology and honesty of the book’s layout – after all, we’re not all eating something flash and hard to cook every day!
Yvette, this weather really is making a mark on us, isn’t it? Today was another scorcher here in Sydney!
Oh how I love brownies! Filing this away for another (cooler) day :)
Ooh that gooeyness! I can see it I can see it! OK I get excited about brownies :D
I’m not a big sweet fan (though they do happen…) but I do like Nigel’s Brown Onion & Madeira Gravy. It has lubricated many a quick dinner.
Sarah, is it hot over there too? Looking a bit cooler here tomorrow, hopefully!
Lorraine, you are funny, though I think these are pretty exciting! :)
Lee, thank you – I’ll look out for the recipe!
Ooh these look rich and gooey just the way a brownie should be. No wonder you like him!
Your brownies look soo good! Love the crust that it has from having the right amount of sugar in it. honey is like Pete in liking the more fudgy brownies. I’m happy as long as it has the crust!
I also have the same book,..His recipes never fail me & truly rock my tastebuds, each time!!
These brownies look to die for,..really!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,…fab food!
Oh yes! These brownies look fabulous! I am need to discover Nigel Slater too.
Thanks for sharing.
Velva
Claire, they’re very moreish, and Nigel’s recipes are very nice indeed. We made his vegetarian curry for dinner tonight, and it was lovely.
Soy, I know exactly what you mean – I’m always looking for the lighter coloured slightly flaky top as well!
Sophie, thank you! :)
Velva, thanks for stopping by! :)
Those brownies look wonderful. I am a lover of every type of brownie, so I am sure I would love these. I have Nigel’s Tender Vol 1 book which has some great vegetable recipes. I have yet to try any out though, but will do so very soon!
Celia – ‘Glastonbury mud’. Decode of Nigel Slater’s reference: The Glastonbury festival is an annual open air UK music event that takes place on a farm. It is hugely popular and has very class acts, so despite the fact that it nearly always rains at some point turning the fields into mud, its is always well-attended. The other thing Nigel Slater mentioned in that article, also related to Glastonbury, was the munchies. Pop festival, tents, good times, munchies – I think you can work it out!
Mr Slater is a great food writer, and these brownies are indeed very very good.
Hehe…thanks for explaining Patrick! I can just imagine what the mud AND the munchies look like.. ;-)