Phil Vickery's Easter egg brownies
Phil Vickery finds out how Creme Eggs are made in Bournville, near Birmingham before putting the sweet treats to good use in his Easter egg brownie recipe.
Easter egg brownies
Serves 8
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 20-25 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp golden syrup110g soft salted butter150g caster sugar150g plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids)75g plain flour, sievedFinely grated zest of 1 large orange4 whole eggs, at room temperature4 crème eggs, halvedSelection of mini Easter eggs and Easter eggs, to decorate
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160° C, gas 3. Line a rectangular tin, about 36 x 10 x 2.7 cm, with baking parchment
2. Melt the golden syrup, butter, sugar and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. When melted, remove the bowl from the pan.
3. Stir in the sieved flour and orange zest and mix well. Add the eggs and whisk them in with the mixture - do not over work the mix or the finished brownie will be chewy.
4. Pour into the prepared tray and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes. At this point this brownie should be risen and cooked at the edges, but the centre will still be soft. Remove from the oven and press the chocolate eggs into the surface to decorate. Return to the oven for a further 5 - 10 minutes, or until the centre is lightly cooked.
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool
6. Chill in the fridge before returning to room temperature for cutting
Note You can also cook this in a 20cm square baking tin. Bake at 180C, gas 4 for about 20 - 25 minutes, then decorate with chocolate eggs and return to the oven for a further 5 - 10 minutes, or until the centre is lightly cooked. Cool and serve as above.
To cut the crème eggs in half, use a small serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water - wipe it dry before cutting.