Our favourite brownie recipe

There are two types of brownie lovers, these that like their brownies well-risen, light and fluffy and these that like their brownies to be heavy, fudgy and intensely chocolatey. We definitely fall in to the second category, I mean - I'm not too bad, I love my sweets and I enjoy any type of cake but since I have tried this recipe Mr PB does not want me to make brownies any other way.
Yesterday when I suggested that this weekend I will make brownies with dulce de leche swirl for a change, the response I got was: "No way, he wants HIS brownies and that there is no need to try new recipes as these brownies are perfect!"
OK, so here it comes, the recipe for possibly the best brownies in the world!! The brownies are delicious, moist with lovely delicate crust. Adding a pinch of salt helps to really bring out the intense chocolate flavour. No cocoa powder is used in these beauties, we're talking real chocolate and plenty of it!!!

Double Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
115g unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
60g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped into small chips
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Method:
Heat oven to 165 degrees. Grease an 20x20 brownie tin with butter. Line the tin with parchment paper, grease the paper. Set aside.
Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a medium size saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to make a smooth batter. Add the chocolate chips, flour, and salt, stir until incorporated. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Enjoy the brownie with softly whipped cream, warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or as a part of a trio of chocolate desserts as we did.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted caramel is one of my favourite flavours, so when I found this recipe for salted caramel ice cream, I had to try it straight away. The result was delicious, creamy ice cream with a hint of salt, just the way I like it, definitely a keeper!
All that butter, cream and dark sugar add up to a rather indulgent dessert. But hey, a girl needs to treat herself once in a while, right? Plus, if it's good enough for the Obamas, it's good enough for me!!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream:

Ice cream base
2 1/2 cups double cream
1/2 cup milk
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add cream, milk and sugar to a medium saucepan. On medium high heat, stirring occasionally, heat the mixture to just before the boiling point and then remove from the heat.
In a separate large bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture in to the eggs, gently mixing as you pour. Return mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat. Continue to stir and cook until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. Don't let the mixture boil. Put your bowl of ice cream base into an ice bath or a sink filled with very cold water to help the cooling process. Refrigerate the ice cream until completely cold.

Caramel
1 1/4 dark brown sugar
1/2 cup double cream
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add all ingredients except the vanilla extract to a small saucepan and cook over medium low heat until it starts to boil. Keep at a low boil for about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a bowl and cool it. Once the caramel is at room temperature, add it to the chilled ice cream base and mix together. Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I've served the ice cream with sliced bananas, dark chocolate and whipped cream turning it into a deconstructed banana split.