Always room for a brownie…

 … and this one is wrapped around pears!  A very quick and easy chocolate pear pudding – and perfect for yet another rainy Sunday.

Brownies are a true hero of any family gathering – and so popular amongst us all.  So many varieties, flavours, textures, mixes – with or without nuts (my sister thinks it is a sackable offence if you put any kind of nut near a brownie), with or without gluten, with or without dairy….. and I bake them all.

 This pudding is based on a brownie batter which you then float pear halves in – whether tinned or fresh.  Cook it just enough to get a crust forming but not so much that you loose some of the oozy chocolate middle…..

 So happy to share this recipe – it is a firm family recipe with my boys and I’m trying not eat the rest of the bowl as I’m writing this!

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE PEAR PUDDING
Inspired by BBC Good Food

 200g butter (I used Flora)
300g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs
75g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
410g can pear halves in juice, drained or 5 fresh pears, peeled, cored & quartered

 Ice cream, to serve

  • Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Lightly grease a roughly 20 x 30cm shallow ovenproof dish. Put the butter in a large saucepan and place over a low heat until just melted. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the sugar until well combined.
  • Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar, beating well with a wooden spoon in between each addition. Sift the flour and cocoa powder on top of the egg mixture, then beat hard with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
  • Pour into the prepared tin or dish and nestle the pears into the chocolate batter. Can be frozen at this stage.
  • Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 mins or until the mixture is crusty on the surface and lightly cooked inside. Do not allow to overcook, as the cake will become spongy rather than gooey in the centre. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

For more ideas and recipes – come and join me at my regular cooking demos. Informal groups of up to 8 people, around my kitchen table, tasting and chatting. A 2 course lunch/supper is included along with welcome coffee & homemade cakes, recipes to take home and lots of inspiration!

 

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