Bloody Brownies
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
- 100g/3.5ozs butter
- 225g/8oz dark chocolate
- 150g/¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 80g/1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cranberries
Chocolate ganache
- 100g/3.5ozs. chocolate
- 2 tablespoons cream
Topping
- 250g/0.5lb. fondant tinted skin colour (I used dusty rose and a little black)
- Red or black icing pen
- 2 tablespoons seedless berry jam mixed with some food colouring
Step 1 - Line a small brownie tin (either 20x20cms/8x8 inches or a rectangular lamington tin. Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan on low heat. Remove from heat and mix in sugar, vanilla and eggs. Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix until smooth. It will be grainy at first but then smooth out after a minute or two of mixing. Stir in the cranberries and place in the prepared tray and smooth out the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool in tin before removing.
Step 2 - Melt the chocolate with the cream until smooth. Turn over the brownie so that you have the smooth side facing upwards. Spread the chocolate ganache over the top and smooth the surface. Allow to set.
Step 3 - Soften the fondant and roll it out on a clean surface. I find this easiest if I roll it out in two halves especially if the fondant is really soft or the weather is hot. Do not roll it too thin, you want to be able to cut into it. Cover the brownie with the skin tinted fondant. I give it a little texture by rolling a lemon over the surface-not that a lemon is like human skin but it means that it isn't super smooth.
Step 4 - Using a sharp knife, score where you will be cutting the brownies - you perhaps want one scar per brownie. Use the paring knife, make patterns. You can slice into the fondant, make holes or wounds or use straws to simulate vampire bites. Use a small paintbrush to fill with the jam mixture. Dip a small piece of paper towel into some the jam mixture and dab around the wounds.