Valentines day is fast approaching and while I have no plans to celebrate it personally (I’m not single, we just don’t really do Valentines), I will happily take any excuse to do a spot of baking, especially when said baking involves copious amounts of chocolate… So I made brownies, because a warm, gooey brownie topped with a generous dollop of ice cream would be my Valentines day dessert of choice. These brownies are elevated beyond regular brownie territory by the addition of strawberries and cream flavoured Lindor truffles, which meld with the dense, fudgy brownie, creating pockets of strawberry and cream flavour.
You could of course use any flavour of truffle you like, but I think that the strawberries and cream are particularly suited to Valentines day. I chopped the truffles up as I preferred to have smaller pieces of truffle more evenly dispersed throughout the brownies, but you can leave them whole if you like, in which case I recommend freezing the truffles before adding them to the batter so that they remain whole when baked. The brownies themselves are perfectly dense and fudgy, gooey if served warm, and totally decadent. They are quite rich, so one is definitely enough! (It is not often that I say that…)
Brownies can actually be one of the trickier things to make well, knowing when to take them out of the oven is key and can mean the difference between moist, fudgy brownies, and dry, overbaked ones. I find that the best indications for perfectly baked brownies are that the middle should be set, if it wobbles they are underbaked; they should have a crisp, papery crust; and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out a bit gunky with moist crumbs, but no wet batter, if it comes out clean then the brownies are overdone. Remember that the time it takes for brownies to become overbaked can be a matter of minutes, so I tend to start checking the brownies after 25 minutes, and then again every five minutes until they are done. Follow these signs and you will end up with perfectly baked, fudgy brownies.
Strawberries & Cream Lindor Truffle Brownies
Ingredients
- 200 g (7oz) dark chocolate, chopped
- 200 g (7oz) unsalted butter, cubed
- 100 g (1/2 + 1/3 cup) plain flour
- 45 g (heaped 1/3 cup) cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 175 g (3/4 cup + 2tbsp) caster sugar
- 100 g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) light brown soft sugar
- 16 (200g/1 box) lindor strawberries and cream truffles, roughly chopped (some halved, some quartered) or left whole if you prefer.
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
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Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place it over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water. Stir until the chocolate and butter have melted then remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
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Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt and set aside.
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Place the eggs and sugars in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until extremely pale, thick and mousse-like and about doubled in volume. If you lift the beaters out of the bowl and wiggle them from side to side, the mixture that falls off the beaters should leave a trail on the surface that lasts for a couple of seconds.
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Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula until the two mixtures are just combined, be careful not to knock out the air.
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Sift the flour and cocoa powder mixture over the top and fold it in carefully, the mixture will become quite gungy. Finally add the truffles and fold them through, reserving a few to scatter over the top if you like.
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Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level it, scatter over any reserved truffle pieces. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 35 minutes, though start checking after 25; when they are ready the brownies should be set in the middle - if they wobble when you shake the tray they need a little longer, and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out a bit gungy, with moist crumbs but no wet batter, if it comes out clean they are overdone. Keep a close eye on them when they are nearly ready as brownies can go from perfectly fudgy to dry and overbaked in a matter of minutes.
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Slide the tin onto a wire rack and leave the brownies to cool completely, they will firm up as they cool and are near impossible to slice neatly when warm; I like to place the tin in the fridge overnight then carefully un-mould the slab and slice into 9 squares.
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They will keep in an airtight container for about a week and freeze well. To serve, give them a 20-30 second blast in the microwave and top with a dollop of strawberry or vanilla ice cream.
I am sharing these with Fiesta Friday hosted by Little Sweet Baker and Foodie On Board, Foodie FriDIY, Foodie Friends Friday, Friday Favourites, Friday Features,
Charlotte Oates
February 2, 2016 at 6:36 pmI’m totally with you about Valentine’s Day, we don’t celebrate it either. I am loving creating some new Valentine’s recipes though, like you said it’s the perfect excuse to get a bit carried away with chocolate. Your brownies sound absolutely devine Hannah, I’ll have to pop out and get some Lindor!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:44 pmThanks Charlotte 🙂 I don’t really celebrate a lot of holidays, but I do enjoy creating recipes for the blog for them!
lucyparissi
February 2, 2016 at 7:19 pmI enjoy spending Valentine’s at home with my husband having cocktails and yummy food. But that’s not to say we don’t do that most weekends 🙂 Still with the healthy diet in place I am looking forward to V-day as an excuse to indulge and have some chocolate. These look amazing and I am glad I am nowhere near them because I could not possibly resist them!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:43 pmThat sounds perfect, especially with your awesome cocktails! x
Amy
February 3, 2016 at 1:22 amOh these brownies are just beautiful! I love the addition of lindor truffles, they are my absolute favourite and they take these brownies over the edge 🙂
We don’t do kitschy Valentine’s Day, instead we do it our way 🙂 We are getting a couple’s massage, watching Dead Pool at the cinema and grabbing pizza on the way home to eat on the couch while we watch QI re-runs 🙂 And I think a pan of these brownies would make the perfect end to our night!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:41 pmThat sounds like an awesome Valentines day! We might be going to watch Deadpool as well, and we’ll probably be too hungover to want to cook so pizza would be ideal 🙂
GA@taller
February 3, 2016 at 3:38 amLooks sooooo great. Thanks for sharing this. Though I’m not sure I can make it as good as you
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect
February 3, 2016 at 9:55 amI don’t do anything for Valentine’s Day either – it’s a massive opportunity for companies to cash in.
I prefer cooking at home and having something delicious.
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect
February 3, 2016 at 9:56 amI hit ‘post comment’ too soon! These brownies look very tasty and very naughty. Well done Hannah.
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:39 pmThanks Angela, they are VERY naughty, but sooo good! x
The Purley Girly
February 3, 2016 at 11:01 amOh wow – these look incredible! Definitely have to try these out. Thank you! x
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:39 pmThank you!
amber
February 5, 2016 at 12:27 pmYour photography and styling is so beautiful! These brownies look so delicious. Perfect for valentines day! I don’t normally do anything on valentines day, but my three year old daughter is really excited about it, pink hearts and chocolate and all (her grandmother told her about it!) so I may be making chocolate tarts and buying her and her brother a little something…
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:39 pmThanks Amber 🙂 That’s sweet, it is actually the perfect holiday to do baking and cookie decorating with kids – chocolate, sprinkles and food colouring!
Jhuls
February 5, 2016 at 2:31 pmMy my! These look fabulously divine!!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:36 pmThank you!
CakePants
February 5, 2016 at 3:03 pmWhat a great idea to incorporate truffles into brownies! These look marvelous. We don’t really do much for Valentine’s Day either, except make some tasty food…I certainly wouldn’t say no to these!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:36 pmThank you! I think that’s the best way to do Valentines – a nice meal at home 🙂
Life Diet Health
February 5, 2016 at 3:33 pmDelicious looking brownies but I’m not sure hubby would let me use his favourite Lindor for baking! I wonder how many I could sneak without him noticing…
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:35 pmHaha! I’m sure he wouldn’t complain for long when you presented him with brownies…. 😛
Lily
February 5, 2016 at 6:07 pmOMG! I tried those Strawberries and Cream Lindor chocolates last Valentines and I thought they were the best thing on earth. I couldn’t stop thinking about them for days. Thanks for the reminder, I’m going to clear the shelf at my grocery store now. Thanks for sharing and happy FF!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:33 pmThey are awesome aren’t they 🙂 but then I don’t think there is a flavour of Lindor that I DON’T like…
chefjulianna
February 5, 2016 at 9:33 pmHelp!! Somebody get me a bib! I don’t want to drool all over my party dress! Wow, you have truly taken brownies to a new level! They are simply extraordinary! 😀
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:31 pmHaha! Thank you Julianna 🙂
Cynthia
February 6, 2016 at 9:07 amThese look DIVINE! I just received a box of Lindor chocolates and now I have something to make them even more delicious! Happy FF and thanks for the insipration!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:31 pmLindor chocolates are amazing as they are, but if there is any way to improve them it is by sticking them in brownies… 😛 Thanks Cynthia
Ahila
February 6, 2016 at 1:47 pmLove these brownies. Happy FF!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:30 pmThank you 🙂
Helen
February 9, 2016 at 10:05 amOoo wow! These look incredible – I need to make these 🙂 #TastyTuesdays
Helen x
http://treasureeverymoment01.blogspot.co.uk/
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:29 pmThanks Helen!
Sophie
February 9, 2016 at 11:56 amOh my lord, these sound INCREDIBLE. Pinning! #TastyTuesdays x
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:29 pmThanks Sophie 🙂
Honest Mum
February 9, 2016 at 3:14 pmThey look incredible!
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:28 pmThank you!
dishofdailylife
February 11, 2016 at 7:10 pmThese sound SO delicious! Of course all of your desserts are droolworthy, in my opinion! I’m featuring you this week for Valentine’s Day at #FoodieFriDIY…sending lots of foodie love your way! 🙂
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:25 pmAwesome! thanks Michelle 🙂 they are utterly delicious, but unfortunately all gone now…
Louise | Cygnet Kitchen
February 11, 2016 at 10:11 pmYour brownies look so gorgeous Hannah! Perfectly moist and squidgy. I generally don’t make anything special for Valentine’s Day, but I might make an exception for these! x
hannahhossack
February 12, 2016 at 1:25 pmThanks Louise 🙂 I don’t generally bother either, and I’ve had so much brownie and cookie recently that I think come Valentines day I wont actually want any baked goodies…. (that’s totally a lie…) x