This is my go-to recipe: Short on time high in need of chocolate, these brownies are the answer! I like these brownies so much that I use the recipe as the key component in a number of other desserts, including Sch’mores (not a typo!), brownie-stuffed Hamantashen, and these halva brownie ganache cups. When short on time, I have been known to serve these as part of a make it your own dessert bar, putting out a variety of creamy things like peanut butter, Nutella, biscuit cream, halva cream, chocolate sauce, and ice cream. Then, I set up a dish filled with toppings, broken up cookies, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and loads of fresh fruit, and then everyone makes their own brownie extravaganza!
- 300g (10 oz) 70% cocoa solids chocolate, broken up into chunks
- 225g (1 cup) butter (or vegan alternative), cubed
- 5 Medium (4 large) eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 350g (1 ½ cups) caster (superfine) sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 190g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
FOR HALVAH GANACHE:
- 225g (8 oz) White Chocolate
- 120g (4.2 oz) vanilla halva crumbles
1. Heat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a standard cupcake tin with paper liners, preferably the tulip cases if you can find them.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Or in a microwave-safe bowl, blasting in 20-second bursts and stirring between each blast until smooth. Cool the mixture slightly before adding the eggs.
3. Add the eggs to the cooled chocolate mixture. Mix well, add the sugar, flour and add a pinch of salt. Mix until blended.
4. Pour into the tin and bake for 15-20 minutes (don’t use convection; the brownies will just become dry). The outsides will look crackled and the inside will feel firm but will still be gooey.
5. Make the Ganache: Place the white chocolate and hlava in a microwave-safe bowl, blasting in 20-second bursts and stirring between each blast until smooth. For ease transfer the ganache either to a piping bag or a measuring cup with a spout.
6. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Do not remove the cakes from the tin. Using a tequila glass or other shot glass, press carefully into the cupcakes to make an inch deep (2.5 cm) indentation. At this point the cakes should still be very gooey and you will need to clean up the glass between each cake.
7. Fill the indent with the ganache and let set, in the fridge for about 90 minutes, or at room temperature for 4 hours.
8. The cakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
