Photography by David Loftus
Bloomin' brilliant brownies
This great little recipe is taken from my Little Book Of Big Treats which I've put together exclusively for Comic Relief. All you have to do is bake a few of these and sell them to your friends, family, colleagues or schoolmates and you'll have raised an extra few quid for Comic Relief and their brilliant causes. What could be easier?Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.
Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of crème fraîche mixed with some orange zest.
Find out more about my Little Book of Big Treats
Comments
Gemma Nice [Visitor]
Sun 17 Jun 2007 @ 11:08
Yummy Yummy Yummy, Wow these little creatures are amazing. Thankyou very much.
Argus [Visitor]
Sat 23 Jun 2007 @ 08:16
It's extremely melt-in-the-mouth wonderful and marvellous. One friend could not stop eating it. And reducing the butter is OK, too. Thanks much, Mr Oliver!
Argus, Zug (Switzerland)
Argus, Zug (Switzerland)
Jesse [Visitor]
Tue 10 Jul 2007 @ 17:36
Amaaaaaazing!
William [Visitor]
Fri 13 Jul 2007 @ 09:12
Wonderful! I loved them, and it wasn't that complicated! Man, I'm gonna buy more of your books!
Silvia [Visitor]
Tue 17 Jul 2007 @ 01:42
Absolutely delicious:-) Thank you !!!
gabriela rotter [Visitor]
Tue 17 Jul 2007 @ 13:02
Hi,I'm from Austria-we love to eat delicious things - No wonder I like the cooking from Jamie! But: I avoid baking-powder whenever possible. It changes the flavour of the dishes and drain it. I've got a recepe for brownies and it works without b.p. although.
Giulia Greco [Visitor]
Tue 24 Jul 2007 @ 17:21
This recipe is fantastic - so easy and quick to make and the results are unbelievable!! A friend kept on saying "I can't believe this is the first time you make brownies" while scarfing them down ;-) Thank you!
Sylvia [Visitor]
Wed 25 Jul 2007 @ 03:09
To die for and I left out the cherries and added the orange zest to the brownie mixture.
Rachelle [Visitor]
Sat 28 Jul 2007 @ 04:56
you're my brownie saviour! ive been looking and trying out different brownie recipes til i came on yours and its the only one among the near-dozen other recipes ive tried. its so smooth and the dark chocolate adds the right hint of bitterness amid the sweet. i have tried without the cherries and nuts first and found it to be a tad overwhelming. chocolate bits or nuts do help interlude the taste. bravo! :) thank you!
Verity [Visitor]
Tue 21 Aug 2007 @ 19:22
These are the best brownies I have EVER tasted! I included the cherries, walnuts and orange zest in the mixture which worked wonderfully. Jamie your recipes never cease to amaze me!
kate [Visitor]
Tue 21 Aug 2007 @ 19:33
instead of using cherrys or nut you can add white choclate chunks to the mixtuere just before puttind it in the oven mmmm nice!
lauren walsh [Visitor]
Sat 25 Aug 2007 @ 20:03
instead of using cherries or nuts i used dark chocolate chips there were very tasty i only made a small amount but i wanted to make more
Elisa Lacerda [Visitor]
Tue 18 Sep 2007 @ 00:26
Simply the best!!!!
Zara Young [Visitor]
Tue 18 Sep 2007 @ 21:40
OMG, im only 10 jamie and i loved ure brownies im a cookaholic and my mum & i love and i mean LOVE to cook ure recipes ok bye and BRAVO
havard [Visitor]
Sat 29 Sep 2007 @ 15:34
Hey! I am an 11 year old norwegian boy, who loves cooking, and this is simply the best cake i have ever made!
Jack Hoff [Visitor]
Mon 01 Oct 2007 @ 15:28
Hi,I'm from Austria-we love to eat delicious things - No wonder I like the cooking from Jamie! But: I avoid baking-powder whenever possible. It changes the flavour of the dishes and drain it. I've got a recepe for brownies and it works without b.p. although.
jenny [Visitor]
Sat 06 Oct 2007 @ 16:21
they really were blooming brilliant. xx =]
Nicolle_Spiers [Visitor]
Wed 10 Oct 2007 @ 15:11
i love these!!! i cant wait to try these.
VIC KY [Visitor]
Fri 12 Oct 2007 @ 13:13
THE FIRST TIME I MADE THESE BROWNIES MY BOYFRIEND DIDN'T BELEIVE I HAD NOT BOUGHT THEM. THE WHOLE FAMILY LOVE THEM AND ALWAYS ASK WHEN I AM MAKING MORE! GORGEOUS!!!!!
koala [Visitor]
Tue 23 Oct 2007 @ 06:43
These were fabulous! All my friends loved them when I made them for their birthday. I think they taste even better then next day.
Bobby Flapjack [Visitor]
Mon 29 Oct 2007 @ 14:01
me and a m8 r goin to be makin these bloomin brillaint brownies in our d&t lesson at school. they look really gr8 i hope ours turn out as nice as they look
Emma Musgrove [Visitor]
Mon 29 Oct 2007 @ 14:02
I am going 2 cook these in our dt lesson on thursday at school
they look gr8 i will b testin them lol
I hope ours are going 2 b as gd as urs
Emma Musgrove [Visitor]
Mon 29 Oct 2007 @ 14:04
me and ma mate are going 2 cook this on thursday i hope it is going too be as good as yours they look great
Ascha [Visitor]
Sat 03 Nov 2007 @ 17:49
I LOVED this recipe, thanx! everyone loved it!
bye!
Netherlands
(13 years old)
bye!
Netherlands
(13 years old)
Kat [Visitor]
Tue 06 Nov 2007 @ 13:39
These are fabulous - so easy to make and so tasty. My trick though is to use less butter - i found 250g was swimming in the bowl and i use self-raising flour instead of plain with baking pwd.
Maximiliana [Visitor]
Wed 14 Nov 2007 @ 22:45
These brownies are amazing! I looove chocolate, so this is the real deal to me! They are very easy to make and taste absolutely delicious!
Emma [Visitor]
Thu 15 Nov 2007 @ 14:12
OH MY GOD! I live in the nicest village with all the oldest and wisest cooks but no one bakery make brownies as good as these. I don't know how you do it Jamie but your brilliant!! Thanx :)
anne [Visitor]
Sun 18 Nov 2007 @ 16:37
amazing!
ellie [Visitor]
Tue 20 Nov 2007 @ 17:51
hi.
i am going to try and make these in my food tech lesson on monday, i was just wandering, about how long do they take to make?!
x
please could someone who has made them reply.
thanx
x
i am going to try and make these in my food tech lesson on monday, i was just wandering, about how long do they take to make?!
x
please could someone who has made them reply.
thanx
x
Nelly [Visitor]
Wed 28 Nov 2007 @ 02:05
These are fantastic brownies, and now requested on a regular basis by friends and family! I do a combo of dark and milk choc and add macadamias :) Truly delicious!
Hazel [Visitor]
Sun 09 Dec 2007 @ 23:23
baked these for work morning tea and nearly started WW3 from people fighting over them. "The meanest brownie"-said one person. By the way I substituted dried cranberries for cherries and used whole pecans
kristin [Visitor]
Fri 21 Dec 2007 @ 20:38
These brownies are the best me or my family have ever had!! Kept the recipe and now I never get bored of baking them! Best Chocolate brownies in the world!! :)
kristin [Visitor]
Fri 21 Dec 2007 @ 20:39
These brownies are the best me or my family have ever had!! Kept the recipe and now I never get bored of baking them! Best Chocolate brownies in the world!! :)
Jana [Visitor]
Mon 24 Dec 2007 @ 18:14
The brownies are very tasty, BUT they came out liquid on the bottom? Jamie pls, help me figure out how come they did not bake on the bottom?
Thanks a lot,
Jana.
Thanks a lot,
Jana.
Marianna [Visitor]
Thu 10 Jan 2008 @ 17:49
delicious!!!!!!!!!
we eat the cookies at once but i didn't put cherries on the cookies.is that all right?or the cherries give an extra taste?
we eat the cookies at once but i didn't put cherries on the cookies.is that all right?or the cherries give an extra taste?
Vicky [Visitor]
Sat 19 Jan 2008 @ 19:16
I am a terrible cook, but this recipe is fool proof. They are the most delicious brownies EVER! People are pestering me to make them ALL THE TIME! Thank you :)
Matty [Visitor]
Fri 25 Jan 2008 @ 17:31
leaving them in the tray to cool/set is such a wise move
clare [Visitor]
Thu 31 Jan 2008 @ 20:01
THE nicest brownies ever!! was so impressed with myself - ha! thank you :)
Stewart [Visitor]
Sun 03 Feb 2008 @ 15:23
Nom nom nom :D
trish [Visitor]
Mon 11 Feb 2008 @ 23:47
Hi Jamie, i was just wondering if the chocolate used needs to be cooking chocolate or just regular fair trade chocolate, im cooking this for my boyfriend tonight so please get back to me asap.. thanks so much
Toni [Visitor]
Thu 14 Feb 2008 @ 15:58
These are definately by far the best brownies i have made- they are so easy to make, and they taste delicious! My friends keep asking me to make more to take into school all the time. Thank you!!
Charlotte [Visitor]
Sat 23 Feb 2008 @ 14:32
I made these Brownies and they were riduculously nice!! But use grese proof paper as if you butter the dish they become a bit too salty!
But seriously easy to make and delicious!
Sharon [Visitor]
Sun 24 Feb 2008 @ 12:15
These brownies are divine, I love to cook and must say i'm not a bad one, but i've never found a half decent brownie recipe before trying this one....if you want to impess new work mates or prospective inlaws (they will insist you marry their much loved son just to get there hands on more) these are the way to go :) yummyummmms
trish [Visitor]
Tue 04 Mar 2008 @ 00:46
Hi Jamie, i was just wondering if the chocolate used needs to be cooking chocolate or just regular fair trade chocolate, im cooking this for my boyfriend tonight so please get back to me asap.. thanks so much
Ruby [Visitor]
Wed 05 Mar 2008 @ 14:27
Wow - these are amazing brownies, everyone in my office loves me thanks to these little beauties!!!
Andrea [Visitor]
Sat 15 Mar 2008 @ 17:36
simply amazing
Ranger [Visitor]
Wed 19 Mar 2008 @ 20:37
These are unbelievably great brownies. I made some for friends at a local bar in Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland. The owner ate all of them and I had free beer for the rest of the winter. Awesome.
mar [Visitor]
Sat 22 Mar 2008 @ 11:22
i made these brownies in a food tech lesson at school. i had never made them before so i thought they wouldnt be very good the first time i made them. they were absolutely gorgeous! i love the gooey middle bit, it was soo nice although they were slightly sickley after eating loads of it. all my friends loved them too and people are adking me to make them again!
well, i am doing,
theyre just...FABBY!
well, i am doing,
theyre just...FABBY!
I [Visitor]
Tue 25 Mar 2008 @ 00:39
These brownies are mouth watering although next time I will put less butter into the mix.
They are fab!
They are fab!
emmy [Visitor]
Tue 25 Mar 2008 @ 14:15
i used this recipe for my food tech project and they worked every time, yummy! ^^
trish [Visitor]
Sun 30 Mar 2008 @ 04:21
question: what types of nuts is it best to use? and is it necessary to put that much butter and sugar in the recipie?
eliza [Visitor]
Sun 06 Apr 2008 @ 07:57
i've just made them and although they turned out great, I think the recipe asks for way too much sugar and butter. You can definetely lower those two :)
nicola [Visitor]
Sat 12 Apr 2008 @ 10:39
I made these with dairy free butter substitute and dairy free chocolate to accommodate my guests and added chopped hazelnuts to them.
I served them for desert with fresh strawberries after a heavy casserole….they were amazing. One of my guests said I was a ‘phenomenal cook’….I did confess it was a Jamie Oliver recipe.
This will be a stable recipe in my portfolio. Fabulous!!
I served them for desert with fresh strawberries after a heavy casserole….they were amazing. One of my guests said I was a ‘phenomenal cook’….I did confess it was a Jamie Oliver recipe.
This will be a stable recipe in my portfolio. Fabulous!!
bunny [Visitor]
Wed 30 Apr 2008 @ 18:05
Hi Jamie,
I tried out your recipe for my first ever brownies for Christmas Eve dinner with the family and they LOVED it!! They were truly impressed that this was my first attempt at making brownies.
Your recipes are thorough and easy to follow with useful tips! Thanks Jamie!!
However, as I'm a bit weight conscious I used less butter...abt 150-200g will do.
I tried out your recipe for my first ever brownies for Christmas Eve dinner with the family and they LOVED it!! They were truly impressed that this was my first attempt at making brownies.
Your recipes are thorough and easy to follow with useful tips! Thanks Jamie!!
However, as I'm a bit weight conscious I used less butter...abt 150-200g will do.
alex [Visitor]
Thu 01 May 2008 @ 11:45
Best brownies I've ever eaten...I bake them for Father's Day today, and I have to say: great recipe!!!
Thank you very much, Jamie
xx
Thank you very much, Jamie
xx
lisa [Visitor]
Thu 01 May 2008 @ 18:52
cnt wait to make em now yum!
Kenau Psaros [Visitor]
Fri 02 May 2008 @ 21:45
I live in South Africa. Have made this recipe 100 times with all the variations and it is a hit everytime. Never flopped and loved by all. My friends r always asking me to make them for any occasion. Thank you!!!! :)
denise [Visitor]
Sun 04 May 2008 @ 06:04
i made these and they came out really dry. i used a 9x13" pan and only baked them for about 20 minutes.
bob [Visitor]
Wed 07 May 2008 @ 12:06
uh
bob [Visitor]
Wed 07 May 2008 @ 12:07
crap brownies
henri molen [Visitor]
Wed 07 May 2008 @ 12:07
fuck you jamie
Christian Etel [Visitor]
Fri 09 May 2008 @ 17:01
The name of the recipe is right... BRILLIANT!
Thank you very much, these are d e l i c i o u s
Thank you very much, these are d e l i c i o u s
Jodie [Visitor]
Sun 11 May 2008 @ 12:28
The best brownies I have ever made. This brownie recipe is going to be THE brownie recipe from now on. unbelievably good i even had two 18 year old boys licking up the crumbs from the box they were in!! Thank you!
Lena Christou [Visitor]
Mon 12 May 2008 @ 20:36
There are so many recipes out there for brownies- (don't try them) this one is the BEST! Guaranteed to delight at dinner parties, just the right balance of chocolaty gooeyness. Mmmm.
sheena [Visitor]
Wed 14 May 2008 @ 16:26
these were great and all my family loved them ! thank you jamie !!!
Helen [Visitor]
Thu 15 May 2008 @ 14:07
If i cook them in a piece of stoneware will i have to cook them for less time?
cheers
Helen
x
cheers
Helen
x
rate
2381 votesserves 20
ingredients
• 250g unsalted butter
• 200g dark Fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up
• optional: 75g dried sour cherries
• optional: 50g chopped nuts
• 80g cocoa powder, sifted
• 65g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 360g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• optional: zest of 1 orange
• optional: 250ml crème fraîche
• 200g dark Fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up
• optional: 75g dried sour cherries
• optional: 50g chopped nuts
• 80g cocoa powder, sifted
• 65g plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 360g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• optional: zest of 1 orange
• optional: 250ml crème fraîche
