Fragrant rosemary meets the rich bitterness of dark chocolate – an unexpected pairing that works beautifully
Diana Henry The Telegraph's award-winning cookery writer
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
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Published
Rosemary is surprisingly good with chocolate – I’ve been making chocolate and rosemary pots for years – and it’s also good with berries and plums.
Overview
Prep time
25 mins
Cook time
45 mins
Serves
9
Ingredients
- 275g soft light-brown sugar
- leaves from 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
- 125g butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the tin
- 200g dark chocolate (70 per cent)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 100g plain flour
- ½ tbsp crème de mûre or crème de cassis
- 130g blackberries
Method
Step
Put 275g soft light-brown sugar and the chopped leaves from 1 sprig rosemary into a food processor and whizz until the rosemary has mostly broken down.
Step
Preheat the oven to 180C/170C fan/gas mark 4.
Step
Butter and line a 20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper. It needs to be big enough to hang over the edges of the tin, so you can lift the brownies out).
Step
Break 100g of the dark chocolate into pieces and put into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Stir to help it melt.
Step
Chop the remaining 100g dark chocolate into little chunks and set aside.
Step
Beat 125g butter (at room temperature) with the rosemary sugar until light and fluffy, then add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 lightly beaten eggs, a little at a time. Beat well after each addition.
Step
Fold in 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 100g plain flour, then stir in the melted chocolate and ½ tbsp crème de mûre or crème de cassis.
Step
Carefully fold in the chocolate pieces and 130g blackberries.
Step
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until just firm to the touch in the centre (the skewer test doesn’t work with these as the centre of the brownies is fudgy).
Step
Leave the brownies in the tin until they are warm (they are too fragile when hot).
Step
Lift them out using the paper, and when they’ve reached room temperature cut into nine squares.