Rabid's Lolita Brownies

Calling any food "wicked" is not really my style...to me, what actually is wicked is corporatised food, hurried, rushed, unloved food. Food that fails to satisfy. Food under false pretences.

I decided, therefore, that my brownies were not wicked, or evil, or even decadent....but seductive, in their own innocent way. Thus, meet my Lolita Brownies.

They do not mean any harm, they cannot help that they are ooey, chocolatey nutty bars of sheer willpower-resistant goodness.

The one small concession I make here in the name of restraint is to use fructose instead of plain white sugar, because its lower GI. I do not use white sugar, don't like how it feels, or tastes, and don't like how my body reacts to it!

But anyway..

The truth is, a brownie or two a week is not going to destroy anyone's body as much as stress, lack of sleep, too much sun and no exercise can. So enjoy, in moderation, or if you must, eat two for breakfast.

Not that I would ever...ever do such a thing, with a steaming mug of French-pressed coffee and warm milk.

*polite cough*

And with that speech over, I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. As usual, I use organic or free-range where I can, but I am not here to tell you what to buy, especially in this economy. Use what you like.

They are super fast, inexpensive, and super easy to make...which, depending on how you look at it, is a very good..or bad thing.

Finally...these are definitely not dry, cakey, "walk around with one in the hand" brownies. These are best eaten warm, and you will need a fork!

*****

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 full, rounded Tablespoons of good quality cocoa powder (I use Green and Black's organic. If you can get it, its great.)

1/2 cup melted butter. (Yes, butter. Would you ask Lolita to wear polyester? Away with thee, margarine, pretender to the throne!)

1 cup granulated fructose (fruit sugar). If not available, then I reckon plain sugar is fine.

1 full teaspoon genuine vanilla extract

1/2 cup white flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

16-20 small squares of milk (or dark) chocolate from a standard large bar. (Not baking chocolate, just use the normal kind.) For this recipe I use a Finnish brand: Fazer milk chocolate.

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (you can leave this out if you do not like nuts)

HOW TO:

Heat oven to 350 degrees (175-180 Celsius..if you use a UK fan oven, turn this down to about 150 and watch time carefully.).

Grease a round glass pie pan, or 8x8x2 square brownie tin with a bit of non-stick spray, butter, ghee, the fat of a golden goose...whatever, as long as it is not margarine!

(I hate margarine.)

Heck, use a Le Creuset veggie roasting dish if you need to, as long as its not too big, or small. These brownies will not be rising much at all, so the pan should allow them to be about 1 inch thick, once the chocolate pieces are put in, unbaked.

Melt the butter in a pan or microwave and pour into a large bowl. Add cocoa powder and stir until well blended.

To this, add 2 lightly beaten eggs, the vanilla and sugar, and stir again until fully blended.

Now add in the 1/2 cup of flour, the 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and stir once again, until blended.

Now, pour your batter into your (already greased and prepped) pan of choice.

Reach for the chocolate bar, and break it into small squares...either what is naturally "scored" into the large bar, or if needed, just try to keep them on the "small side" of a square inch or so. The ones in the photograph are about 1cm wide, and 2cm long, if that helps.

Smile indulgently as you now proceed to lay squares of chocolate onto the batter in a reasonably grid-like fashion, leaving some space between each one.

Now...press gently on each square with your finger until its partially buried in the batter..not to the base of the pan, just until the batter sort of pushes up all around it.

Take a knife, and gently sweep batter over each square until it disappears into the batter completely.

"Chocolate? What chocolate?"

Enjoy the momentary feeling of chocolate deviousness.

Once the surface is smoothed again, pop into the oven for about 30 minutes or so, watching carefully until the sides begin to pull away from the edge.

Usually I can tell when they are ready..between 30-35 mins, but pull them out before they are totally "cake-baked". The idea is a fudgy, soft centre, almost "puddingish" at the middle....even when they cool to room temperature.

As for the melty, soft, gooey chocolate hidden in the batter? What happened to it?

I will let you find THAT out, when you make them. But do let them cool a wee bit, and remember to serve with a fork and ice cold milk.

(or ice cream, hehe.)

Enjoy.