recipe: hazelnut praline brownies

I'm terribly sorry, but I'm going to insist that you chill these overnight before serving

Dec 01, 2023

What I’m reading: How to Build a Boat, by Elaine Feeney. Feeney’s second book, centred around Jamie, a neurodivergent teenager in rural Ireland, is descriptive and moving - hit me right in the feels

What I’m listening to: my Spotify Wrapped (obvs), featuring Joshua Burnside in strong first place

What I’m eating: dinner at Gemmayze Street, Auckland (below) - Lebanese inspired and very yummy (plus the best hummus I’ve ever eaten)

A good brownie recipe is something I think everybody should have in their arsenal. I tested 9 different brownie recipes with my friend Mary in London a couple of years ago, and discovered a few firm favourites (notably Bravetart and Ina Garten).

When it comes to levelling up your brownie, there are several avenues: you can, of course, add any combination of flavours, like Ottolenghi’s tahini halva brownies, or the Tivoli Road rye and walnut brownie. Some recipes went the extra mile, adding coffee, brown butter or vanilla, while others kept it simple and let the quality of the chocolate speak for itself. It is very important that you use excellent quality chocolate, as it’s not just the flavour that is critical: good chocolate also has fewer additives and stabilisers, which will help you to achieve the perfect texture.

For me, you need to get the brownie base perfect before you can start adding extras. I like a brownie that has a very thin crackle on top, and is moussey and soft inside - which you can only achieve by slightly underbaking, and then letting it set completely in the fridge before slicing. I will always choose an edge piece, because I want the contrast in texture between the chewy exterior and the fudgy interior. While you can make a very decent brownie by only whisking the eggs and sugar briefly before adding the chocolate and butter, my ideal brownie requires that you whisk the eggs and sugar to a sabayon-type consistency, which takes at least 5 minutes in a stand mixer. I don’t like too much dry ingredients, as this results in a cakey texture - not bad, but certainly not appropriate for a brownie. Brown butter is nice but not essential, salt is a requirement (either in the butter or added with the dry ingredients), and I find that a combination of milk and dark chocolate gives you the perfect balance of rich, but not overpowering.

a lil brownie tester I made in a 5cm round tin at Mor

Volume-wise, if you’re baking your brownies in a 20x20cm tin (and I think you should), I like a slightly taller brownie than is conventional - and this is only possible if you are patient and chill the brownie before slicing. If you haven’t overbaked your brownie, you won’t be able to get a neat slice until it’s chilled - but by all means, grab a spoon and eat it while still warm. I won’t judge. The height also allows plenty of room for adding fun extras: in this case, I’ve opted for hazelnut praline, half of which I blitz to get a praline paste, and the other half of which I roughly chop, to stud the top. Feel free to add whatever takes your fancy, though: frozen berries, nuts, chunks of cookie dough - the world is your oyster.

You’ll find the recipe below, plus a PDF if you want to print or save it. Enjoy, and send me pics so I can live my brownie dreams vicariously through you x

Recipe: hazelnut praline brownies

Ingredients

320g butter

160g milk chocolate

160g dark chocolate

5 eggs

350g caster sugar

130g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

Praline

180g caster sugar

120g toasted hazelnuts

Method

First, make the praline. Line a tin with baking paper. Place the sugar in a large saucepan over a medium heat and watch it carefully as it starts to melt. When it has all turned to liquid, add the hazelnuts and swirl the pan to coat the nuts. Don’t stir, just tilt the pan so that all of the nuts get covered. When the sugar has turned dark golden brown, and the nuts have started to pop, pour this mixture onto the tin. Allow to cool fully before using - it needs to be completely dry (it should snap when you break it).

Place 175g of this praline in a food processor, and blitz until it turns into praline paste. Chop the remaining praline (there should be around 125g) into 1cm chunks.

Preheat the oven to 165C. Line a 20x20cm tin with baking paper.

Place the butter and both chocolates in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally while heating until both have melted.

Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium-high speed until they have doubled in volume.

Gently use a whisk to fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Sift over the dry ingredients and use the whisk to fold these in.

Pour half of the brownie mixture into the tin, and place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Add the praline paste on top, and use a palette knife to level, so that there is an even layer. Pour over the remaining brownie mixture, and scatter over the praline pieces.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until there is a wobble in the centre, but not all the way to the edges.

Allow to cool fully in the fridge before slicing.