Brownies as they should be: moist, soft and squidgy on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. Shop-bought and other recipes I’ve tried but these brownies are by far my favourite. This recipe is foolproof; never have I had a disaster with this one. Many would agree that chocolate is the ultimate comfort food. We munch on it when we’re happy, we scoff it down when feeling low. We devour it when we’re hungry, we nibble on it when we’re stuffed. Let’s face it, we’ll rationalise about anything and everything just to get our hands on some chocolate.
P.S. Eve from Garden of Eating has organised a Comfort Cook-off and my brownies will be heading that way.
Chocolate & Pistachio Brownies
Serves 15
Preparation: 10 mins – Cooking: 50 mins
Preparation: 10 mins – Cooking: 50 mins
Ingredients
- 100g (4 oz) pistachios
- 100g (4 oz) unsalted butter
- 100g (4 oz) dark chocolate (70%), broken into small chunks, plus extra
- 2 eggs
- 225g (8 oz) granulated sugar
- 50g (scant 2 oz) plain flour
- 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1.25ml (¼ tsp) salt
Method
- Line an 18x28cm/7×11-inch tin with baking parchment, allowing the paper to come 2cm/1 inch above the tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Chop the nuts roughly so they’re still quite chunky and roast them in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, timed. (This step is optional. If you’re feeling lazy you can dunk the nuts directly into the mix. An alternative is to buy the nuts already roasted but unsalted.)
- Meanwhile put the butter and chocolate in a metal/pyrex bowl placed over a pan half-filled with barely simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt, then beat until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the other ingredient, including the nuts, until thoroughly mixed.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until it is slightly springy in the middle. Take the brownies out of the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into about 15 squares. Use a palette knife to transfer to a wire cooling rack and serve when cool or still just slightly warm.
Serving Suggestion
Eat it on its own, with cream or vanilla ice-cream.
Notes
- If you’re not a fan of nuts, leave out the pistachios.
- If you’re not a fan of pistachios and prefer say hazelnuts (or a mix!), simply substitute them with the equal amount.
Pistachios in chocolate brownies sounds good! Nice photos.
that is a seriously good-looking brownie.
is there ment to be two lots of baking powder in the ingredients list?
Beautiful photograph, makes me crave some right now!
I have made these brownies many time and Michelle is right – the recipe is foolproof! Its easy to make and they taste so good! It’s definitely a great snack for when you invite people over as well
What can be better than brownies? Well perhaps brownies with pistachios! And your photo is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Foolproof recipe, chocolate, pistachios, brownies – oh yes, you’ve certainly got my attention! Guess what’s going to be coming out of my oven tomorrow afternoon…
I have made brownies many times but never with pistachios… They look luscious!
I love chocolate and pistachio together. I just posted about a dessert with the same combination. I never thought to put it together in a brownie. I’ll bet it tastes as good as it looks!
OK stop – you are making me SO hungry! I love pistachios and I love brownies so this is my ideal sweet snack. Stunning pic, as always.
Your photography makes me want to reach through my screen and scarf up those brownies right now! And pistachios are SO much better than walnuts!
i love the bright green against the dark cocoa. i also love the word “squidgy.”
Love these brownies Michelle, they look gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of pistachios & am currently using them in almost everything this month…cookies, fudge, Swiss rolls! Pistachios & chocolate are quite the ultimate combination!! Great post…& so scrumptious!!
Wow!! They surely look yummy. The photos elevated the level of my chocolate cravings. Thanks for posting this. I will definitely try this one later. Great post by the way..
–Stephen
daymn.