Now that we are into November, I’m ready for the winter and all the delicious goodies that this time of the year brings. I’m starting with these winter chocolate brownies.

This recipe is originally from Rachel Allen’s cookbook and was shared with me by a work colleague two years ago. Today, is the first time I’ve tried them. Can you believe it? I can, I’ve too many recipes and not enough hours to try them all.

In place of the optional nuts suggested in the original recipe, I used smarties for some crunch. You could use chocolate chips or chunks either. If you’d rather a dark chocolate brownies, then I suggest you try my Dark Chocolate Brownie recipe.

Hope you enjoy!

Amy x

Ingredients
180g butter
200g milk chocolate
3 eggs
240g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp port, optional
110g plain flour
100g white chocolate chips

Method
Grease and line a 7X10″ cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180C.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Simultaneously, mix together the eggs, caster sugar, vanilla and port, if using, with a wooden spoon – don’t use an electric beater as this will aerate the mixture causing the brownies to rise and fall in the oven, giving way to a sunken tray of brownies you so often see.

When the chocolate and butter have melted, gradually beat into the egg mixture.

Fold in the flour and white chocolate chips.

Transfer to the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. If you have time, sit the brownies in the tin into the fridge – this will help them set nice and fudgy before cutting.