ANITA TASKER shares her best-selling brownie recipe.

This fantastic brownie recipe came from a book I found in a charity shop in York 18 years ago, it cost me 20p.

Our brownie is one of our best sellers.

Ingredients

300g unsalted butter
300g good dark chocolate (I use Green & Blacks 70 per cent)
5 large eggs
225g soft brown sugar
225g white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa (not drinking chocolate)
200g plain flour

Method

Pre heat oven to 180oC or gas mark 4.

Melt butter and chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. This won’t take long if you stir all the time – you are looking for a nice chocolate liquid. When melted, set aside to cool slightly. In another bowl, beat eggs with both sugars and cocoa powder until thick and creamy; it should coat the back of a spoon and take around five minutes with an electric beater. Or you can use a wooden spoon and it may take a little longer.

Add this mixture to the chocolate and butter and sift in your flour. Beat this a little more until all smooth then pour into your prepared tin. (At this stage you can personalise your brownie by adding nuts, cherries, dried fruit. Sprinkle on the top and they will sink in during baking).

We use large oven trays in the shop (we use double this quantity) but at home a roasting tin is ideal.

Make sure it is about 30cmx24cm and about 6/7cm deep. Line with baking paper (greaseproof or baking parchment). Leave the paper to come up the sides of the tin as this makes it so easy to lift out your brownie later.

Bake for about 25 minutes at a temperature of 180oC or gas mark 4. After about 20 minutes have a look – you will see a lovely crust has formed on the top that has started to crack. There should be no wobble on the brownie but it should feel gooey in the middle. Cool for about 30 minutes, then lift it out by the paper and lay it on a cooling rack and cut into squares. Enjoy – if you get stuck, come and see us and we will show you how we make ours.

• Anita Tasker owns Pattacakes the patisserie, bakery and café on Main Street, Welburn, near Castle Howard.