This brownie recipe is one of my old, tried and tested recipes that gives, without exception, a generous batch of fudge brownies with a wonderful texture and strong chocolate flavour. Using both dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder, it indeed is the epitome of seriously chocolate desserts.
Strawberries and dark chocolate have been one of my favourite dessert combinations for decades. There is something truly special in that slight berry tartness combined with the deep, almost bitter, dark chocolate flavour.
And Ruby chocolate, delicate in colour, delicate in aroma, delightfully tangy, with just a mere hint of summer berry flavour, has been among my top choices ever since it first appeared. It is the perfect balance to the dark chocolate; and with the fresh strawberries added, it only enhances the harmony of flavours in this dessert.
These brownies do not need any additional embellishment; they are wonderful on their own. My recommendation is to let them cool completely, and serve with additional fresh strawberries, and if you like, perhaps a light dusting of icing sugar.
Ingredients
150 grams dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
120 grams unsalted butter
150 grams granulated sugar
15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
150 grams vanilla yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100 grams plain flour
100 grams ruby chocolate, roughly chopped
150 grams fresh strawberries, finely chopped
Preparation
Chop up the chocolate finely, and add it to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Dice the butter and scatter it all over the chocolate, and then place the saucepan over medium heat. Let the mixture slowly heat up and melt until it becomes smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat, tip in the sugar and the cocoa powder, and mix well. The sugar will bring down the temperature slightly, and the mixture can appear slightly grainy, but that is fine. Add in the yoghurt and vanilla, and once again mix well, until smooth. Finally, sift in the flour, and fold it through gently, until the majority of the flour has been incorporated.
Add in the pieces of ruby chocolate and strawberries, and fold them through until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter. Line a small rectangular baking pan (20x20 cm) with baking parchment, pour in the batter, smooth it as much as possible, and then bake in a preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 25 minutes. Since every oven is slightly different, check them with a toothpick to make sure they are baked through, but not overbaked. They need to stay fudgy and moist, so underbaking them ever so slightly is also fine. Once baked and ready, remove them from the oven, let them cool completely on a wire rack, slice them up and serve. Yields 9 generous servings. © TINA VESIĆ 2020
