ULTIMATE Brownie Bars/bites

ULTIMATE Triple Chocolate Brownie Bar Recipe ! An original creation by myself.
perfect for snacks, lunchboxes, tea/coffee, desert! (all in moderation).

I came up with this idea after i had to figuire out how to store my brownies in
a small space while stacking them, without them being squashed or ruining the
decorations. this was a problem as my favoroute brownie recipe is very gooey...

I have perfected this recipe while traveling, so my equipment isnt exactly what i would
have if i had the choosing :)

this is the fudgiest brownie you will eat:)

This recipe includes my ULTIMATE Chocolate Brownie and makes -- bars or bites....
Have fun :)

So ingredients from Left to Right:

200g Dark chocolate - 70% cocoa
250g Unsalted butter - room temperature
550g Caster sugar
170g Plain flour
4 Table spoons of cocoa powder
4 Free range eggs (MUST be free range)

Equipment you will need:

1x Whisk OR Eletric whisk
1x Wooden spoon
1x Large mixing bowl (will hold all brownie ingredients)
1x Small mixing bowl
2x bowls
1x Sauce pan


You can also pre heat your oven now:
fan assisted oven: 160*c / 325*f
around gas mark 3 - 4

Half fill a pan with hot water and rest a mixing bowl on top of the pan.
put the softened butter and the chocolate into the bowl.
place the pan & bowl over a low heat to gradually melt the chocolate and butter together.
give it a stir every now and then to melt the chocolate.

BE CAREFUL not to get any water into the bowl as this will ruin the recipe (even a couple of drops)
BE CAREFUL not to over heat the chocolate, it should only be warm - the best idea is to put the pan on and off the heat to avoid over heating - melting will take about 5-10 mins
 
Once melted completely, Put the chocolate bowl to one side and leave to cool a little.
Take the time now to line your baking tray
butter the tray, place greasproof paper in tray, butter greasproof paper.

While your chocolate is cooling, place 4 eggs into a bowl and whisk.
gradually add the 550g of sugar.
whisk until pale, creamy and thick

IMPORTANT - your gonna have to whisk for 2-3 minutes on this one, so using an eletric whisk will save your arm a lot of pain !

Once your chocolate is cool (not cold and not hot) you can very slowly whisk it into the egg mixture.
if you add the chocolate too fast and its even a little too hot, it can mess up your brownie, and nobody wants that... come on...
once completely mixed (chocolate soup) move onto the next step.

now is the best time to add whatever you would like for your brownie,
my personal favourite is macadamia and white chocolate buttons

now using your wooden spoon, slowly fold the flour and cocoa powder into the chocolate soup.
Fold either using the figuire 8 motion (imagine the number 8 on its side)
Or by pulling the spoon through the middle of the mix then scraping around the edges (draw a D)

DONT beat the flour into the mix, folding is gentle and slow
DO make sure you get every last bit of flour into the mix - any un-mixed flour can cause lumps or pockets

Drop the mix into your pan, scrape as much out of the bowl as you can (the mixture should be very thick now)

make sure the mixture is to the edges and corners, use a small fork or spoon to get it everywhere - it doesnt have to be perfectly flat,
just make sure it isnt lop sided as it will keep the shape it is when it goes into the oven (feel free to try and do a pattern)

Place into the middle of your oven, and bake for 30 - 50 minutes. Turn the brownie after 20 minutes.

DO check your brownie using a sharp knife by poking in the centre (if your using a large tray you can check the centre and around the centre)
DONT overcook the brownie, it can be a TINY bit gooey on the knife - if you are unsure dont take it out, once its out of the oven and cool - re heating and trying to cook wont work.

Once your brownie is cooked, take out the oven and leave on the side until cooled completely (you can also put it in the fridge but dont let it get beyond cold)

(cooked brownie picture on next step)

Because your brownie will be very soft you have to be careful and quick getting it out of the baking pan, two pairs of hands is better than one in this situation - if your cooking with kids, you should do this - they will probably drop them... sad face.

Cut the brownie into equal bars (our pan made 16), then if you want bite size peices, cut each bar into 2 or 3 peices.

Ok now melt the white chocolate in a bowl big enough to fit a brownie in.
we added hundreds and thousands for a bit of 'flair' :p
dip the base of each bar or bite into the white chocolate (twice if nessecary)
put the brownie white chocolate side up on some greaseproof paper for about 5-15 minutes until its set.

once set, flip the brownies back over.
melt milk chocolate in a bowl and using a spoon or a piping bag or a jug slowly draw a zig zag or lines or anything you like onto the top of the brownie.

leave for a further 5-10 mins until set and then eat them !! its that simple.

These are great to impress people as they are so tasty and so simple...
store in a fridge in an airtight box

as i live in a hostel where there is no fridge space i had to rough it and store in a cupboard in an airtight container, they only lasted me 4 days before i ate them all and shared them all out. 

another thing with these is the longer you leave them the nicer they get.

Take out of the fridge an hour before you want to eat them, or microwave them and have them with ice cream... ENJOY THEM! :)
Hope you enjoyed my first instructable, many more to come so subscribe if you like cooking :)