Melting Chocolate For Brownies

Our answer

NIgella's Brownies (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) can be piled up on a platter and studded with birthday candles, as an alternative to a birthday cake. The brownie batter is enriched with melted chocolate and for this recipe the chocolate and butter can be melted together in a saucepan over a very low heat. Keep a close eye on the pan as chocolate can scorch easily if it is heated too much.

If you are nervous about melting the chocolate over a direct heat then you can put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and stir the mixture periodically until the butter has melted and the chocolate is almost completely melted. Whether you are using direct heat or a double boiler it is always a good idea to take the mixture off the heat while there are few small pieces of unmelted chocolate left. These pieces will melt in the residual heat of the mixture and removing the pan or bowl from the heat slightly early will help to reduce the risk of the chocolate being heated too much. We would not recommend reducing the sugar in the recipe by any large amount as the sugar provides structure to the brownies and also gives them their crisp crust.