Chocolate & Ginger

So it was about 9pm the other night, and I found myself overtaken with a craving for chocolate after watching some “food porn” on my favourite channel, the Food Network. Note to self: I reaalllly need to stop watching Food Network after 8pm..

Anyways, I opened up the cupboard and scrounged through my “chocolate box”, but I knew nothing in there would satisfy my craving. I wanted a BROWNIE. A deep, dark and delicious brownie with a rich and fudgey center and a crispy crust.

So instead of running over to the corner 7-11 for a quick fix with a bag of those mini two bite brownies. I pulled out my mixing bowls, a wooden spoon and a can of cocoa and got to work.

Because I was lazy and impatient, I looked no further than the recipe on the can of cocoa itself. It looked easy enough and knowing it was from a reputable company like Ghirardelli, it had to be good, right?

Start by whisking together your sugar, vanilla and eggs, then add your melted butter. Stir till it’s incorporated.

Next, put a sieve over the bowl and add in the dry ingredients: flour, sweet cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Mix together with a wooden spoon and stir in your chopped organic walnuts. Try your hardest to resist the temptation to eat all the batter at this point. The smell is intoxicating.

Pour this thick gooey batter into an 8×8 pan, or in my case a long rectangular tart pan and spread around till its evenly distributed. To finish it off, sprinkle a pinch or two of fleur de sel over the top. Believe me, salt and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Plus it just makes this recipe sound so much fancier than it really is

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Now go do some laundry or find something to occupy yourself, while you patiently wait for these to cool in the pan.

10-15 minutes later. Slice this baby up into the size of your choice and prepare for chocolate nirvana.

These.were.so.good. Seriously, who wants to fuss with melting chocolate over a double boiler and have to clean more than one bowl. This recipe was the bomb. Dense, rich, decadent and super chocolately on the inside. Crispy and chewy on the outside.

And don’t just take my word for it. I received several compliments from the coworkers the next day.

These are a must-make for sure. I’ll be sure to recreate them for my next potluck or get together. A definite crowd pleaser. Perhaps throw in some lavender next time for an added sophistication

Bon appetit

Ghirardelli award-winning chocolate brownies

• 2 organic eggs
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate (regular cocoa should work just fine)
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice)
• a pinch of two of fleur de sel (my added touch)