Crack Biscoff Brownies
making brownies sexy again
I have a real love-hate relationship with brownies. I make a mean brownie. In fact, it was selling home-made brownies that got me through the COVID lockdowns in Singapore just a few years ago. I made so many brownies that I can no longer stand the smell of a brownie in my kitchen. The beautiful chocolatey scent of it just reminds me of that challenging time when our lives were flipped onto its head, and I had was baking from the wee hours of the morning until the wee hours at night. So, when I think of my brownies, mixed feelings get stirred up inside me. In some way - my home-made brownies kept me financially afloat, but I find it hard to get excited about making them for myself.
So, what do you bake for a baker?
This was the question I asked myself when I wanted to make something to take to one of my cookbook club sessions, to celebrate my friend Christine’s birthday.
My dear friend Christine is a sensational baker, and I have had the good fortune of tasting many of her incredible bakes. Not only are her cakes delicious, they are also big and beautiful. Whenever I visit her house, there will also be some baked item sitting in a glass cloche on her dining table.
So, when I decided to bake something to take to a cookbook club session the week of her birthday, I knew I couldn’t be my usual lazy baker self and bring something bog standard.
After a bit of research, I came across this Biscoff brownie recipe from Jane’s Patisserie. Because I have a chronic inability to stick to a recipe, this is my version. In my opinion, substituting some of the dark chocolate with Lindt’s orange chocolate made the brownie a bit edgier.
These brownies turned out so good - and they might have turned me on to brownies again.
Crack Biscoff Brownies
Makes 1 x 8-inch square brownie and serves many decadent slices
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate (I used 100g dark chocolate and 100g Lindt Intense Orange Dark Chocolate)
200g unsalted butter
3 eggs
200g caster sugar
90g plain flour
35g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
150g Lotus Biscoff biscuits (I used Lotus Biscoff Sandwich Cookies with Biscoff Cream)
1/2 jar (200g) Lotus Biscoff spread
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C Fan-forced. Line a 8" square baking tin with greaseproof paper.
Place the Biscoff biscuits in a zip lock bag and seal tight. Bash with a heavy jar or a wooden rolling pin until the biscuits are roughly crushed.
In a heatproof bowl, combine the dark chocolate with the unsalted butter and nuke in the microwave for 30 secs at a time, until fully melted and mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs into the bowl and add in the sugar. Using a balloon whisk, or electric hand-held whisk, whisk the egg and sugar until thick and foamy. The mixture should become a lot paler and double in volume.
Gently pour the chocolate-butter mixture into the large mixing bowl and fold very gently to combine. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, chocolate chips and crushed biscuits. Fold gently to combine.
Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin and using two small teaspoons, spoon dollops of the Lotus Biscoff spread on the top of the brownie mixture. You can also use the back of the knife to swirl the Biscoff spread into the brownie mixture.
Bake in the oven for about 20 - 30 mins until baked through. A skewer/cake tester that goes into the middle of the brownie should come out fairly clean.
Allow the brownie to cool fully in the tin and cut into squares.
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Penelope- Those brownie grid with alternating arrangement of white chocolate chip, choc chip, walnut, etc---are goals!