These brownies are delightfully dense and fabulously fudgy. And that’s before the glossy chocolate topping is spooned on. With the topping, the taste is …. Mmmmm!

Makes: 16 squares

Time: To make and bake the brownies takes 40 – 45 minutes + cooling; to cut then add the topping takes around 20 minutes.

Level: Easy

Equipment: A 23cm/9” square baking tin (You could probably use a 20cm/8” tin for a deeper brownie, but the baking time will need to be adjusted slightly.)

Brownie Ingredients

150g/5oz dark chocolate
150g/5oz unsalted butter
2 tsp instant coffee powder (optional)
225g/8oz light brown soft sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
150g/5oz plain flour (All purpose flour in US)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
100g/3.5oz desiccated coconut
100g/3.5oz glace cherries, halved or smaller
50g/2oz chocolate chips (dark or milk)
2 tbsp milk (if necessary to loosen the mixture)

For the topping

100g/3.5oz dark chocolate
100g/3.5oz unsalted butter
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
150g/5oz icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar in US)
8 glace cherries, halved
About 25g/1oz desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / 350F / Gas 4. Line the tin with baking parchment. (Rather than greasing brownie tins, I simply wet them with a little water and insert the parchment, which adheres easily and there’s no messy washing up.)

2. Melt the chocolate and butter, using a bain marie (a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water). Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee powder*, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Beat until smooth. (*Adding coffee will enhance the chocolate flavour.)

3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a separate bowl. Add the salt, coconut, cherries and chocolate chips. Stir until it’s all well blended then combine the dry and wet mixtures. Stir in the milk if the mixture appears thick and dry.

4. Pour into the tin, level the surface and tap the tin on the work surface a couple of times to settle the mixture. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Set the tin aside while the mixture cools.

5. For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter as before. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Sift in the cocoa powder and icing sugar and beat well, until thick and smooth.

I have a box for “offcuts”. It means I’m less tempted to eat them while baking.

6. The choice you now have is whether you add the topping before cutting the block into pieces or afterwards. Whichever you decide, spread the topping over the cooled brownies with a spoon. (It will need to be loosened if you want to pipe it.)

Before applying the topping, have everything ready; it sets quickly

7. Add one of the halved cherries to each piece before the topping sets then sprinkle over the desiccated coconut.

I hope you enjoy making these brownies – and eating them too, of course. Click this link for more tasty traybake recipes, or have a look at the rest of my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes.

If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.

In the meantime here are a few links to more lovely brownies and blondies that I’m sure you’ll like:

Coffee and Cream Brownies