Put a spring in your step with chocolate brownies

Spring break is the perfect time to put your cooking skills to the test and enjoy a sweet treat! Whether you're spending the break in Halls or not, these chocolate brownies are so delicious and perfect for any beginner baker.

The spring months are here but on a day of April showers, why not treat you and your flatmates to a homemade treat? Plus, who doesn't love a mini egg?!

Avoid baking fails with these helpful hints:

Here's a few helpful hints to make your baking as smooth as possible:

✅ Get your ingredients out weighed out and ready to go before you start baking to help keep your kitchen tidy 

✅ Recycle any leftover ingredients e.g. egg shells. Pop them in your food waste bin and help create energy from your leftovers 

✅ Clean up any spills quickly, especially grease, to save any unwanted baking fails!

✅ Never leave the kitchen while cooking or baking and always open a window before you start to keep the space ventilated

What do you need? 

• 20cm square baking tin, lined with baking paper 
• 200g unsalted butter or spread
• 200g dark chocolate
• 3 free-range eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 100g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder 
• 240g mini eggs or other favourite easter treat
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan 
2. In a heat-proof bowl, add your butter and chocolate and melt on short bursts (10-20 seconds) at a time. Chocolate can burn easily so always keep a close eye on the microwave. To help speed things up, cut your butter into cubes and break the chocolate up into small pieces. 
3. Remove the butter and chocolate once melted and allow it to stand for a minute.
4. In a separate bowl, add your eggs and caster sugar and whisk until light and fluffy. If you don't have an electric whisk, don't worry it'll just take slightly longer to reach the fluffy stage! 
5.  As your eggs and sugar are coming together, gradually pour in the chocolate mix.
6. Once combined, fold in the flour, cocoa powder and pinch of salt. Chop up half of your mini eggs and also fold into the mix (folding is when you use a metal spoon to gently combine the ingredients together without knocking the air out of the mixture).
7. Time to scoop your brownie batter into the tin! Using the back of a spoon, make sure the mix is spread evenly and smoothly. With your left over eggs, drop them on top of the mix. 
8. Carefully add your brownies to the oven and bake for 25 minutes (use a timer to avoid burnt brownies) and never leave your baking unattended.  You'll know when they're cooked when you see cracks on top. 
9. Use oven gloves to remove the brownies and pop the tray onto a wired rack or other heat proof surface. If you have any left over chocolate, melt and drizzle over your brownies for extra chocolatey-ness! 
10. Leave the brownies to cool before you and your flatmates enjoy!