Best chocolate brownie recipe: How to make Anna Kelly McLeod’s bonfire night brownies

Anna Kelly McLeod just published her new book, The Kitchen of Somewhere.

And the writer and photographer visited The Morning Show on Tuesday, to whip up a delicious batch of bonfire night brownies.

McLeod said the recipe was inspired by looking up at the stars while sitting at a fire.

The author will soon join Reading’s own Chris Gordon to launch The Kitchen Somewhere at the State Library in Melbourne.

Recipe below:

BONFIRE NIGHT BROWNIES

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Brownie:

• 2 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup coarsely chopped toasted
• macadamia nuts

Topping:

• 12 oz (340g) semisweet chopped chocolate
• 3 oz (85g) good quality white chopped chocolate

Method

• Preheat oven to 176C.
• In a heavy saucepan, stir chocolate and butter over medium to low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Then remove from heat.
• In a separate, large saucepan, combine sugar, eggs, and salt. Whisk constantly over low heat just until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Then remove from heat.
• Add the chocolate mixture and vanilla with the eggs and sugar. Whisk together until combined. Whisk in flour and nuts.
• Butter and flour 15inch x 10inch (38 x 25cm) pan. Spread batter evenly into a buttered pan.
• Bake until the tester inserted into the centre comes out with some moist crumbs still attached, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool brownies completely in pan.

For Topping

• Stir semi-sweet chocolate into the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the boiler and spread over the brownie base.
• Stir white chocolate in top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, again until it is smooth. Spoon into a resealable plastic bag (or piping bag).
• Cut off the tip on one corner. Draw piping lines of white chocolate crosswise on the top of the brownie, spacing lines 1 inch (2 1/2 cm) apart.
• Using a toothpick, draw lengthwise across lines alternating direction from left to right, then right to left to create marbled patterns. Then let chill just until firm enough to cut, about 30 minutes.
• Cut into small squares for serving.