Triple Chocolate Brownies with a Bourbon Biscuit Base

These are a really rich brownie, packed with bourbon biscuits and chocolate. They're great with a hot cup of tea, or a glass of milk if you're feeling nostalgic!

Triple Chocolate Brownies with a Bourbon Biscuit Base

Bashed up Bourbon biscuits

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients:

Bourbon Base:
50g plain flour
400g Bourbon biscuits (plus approx. 10 extra for decorating the top of brownies)
100g dark brown sugar
100g unsalted butter
125g golden syrup

Brownie Topping:
250g chocolate (a mixture of dark and milk, depending on what you prefer)
250g unsalted butter
4 large eggs
150g dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g plain flour
0.25tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Biscuit base before cooking

 250g chopped chocolate (any combination of dark, milk or white chocolate)
Pinch of salt

Oven at 180oC fan/190oC electric

Method:

1. Crush the Bourbon biscuits in a bowl - either crumbling them with your hands, or with the end of the rolling pin - then add the flour and mix together.

2. In a pan over a medium heat, mix the butter sugar and syrup in a pan and stir until the butter has melted and everything is combined.

3. Add the butter mix to the Bourbon mix and stir until combined.

4. Press the mix into a lined and greased baking tray and bake in the centre of a preheated oven at 180oC for 10-15 mins, until it is getting slightly browner around the edges, and is starting to resemble a sponge-like mix.

Cooked base and raw brownie topping

5. Whilst the base is baking make the brownies; heat the butter and 250g of chocolate over a bain marie until smooth.

6. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mix is pale and thick.

7. To the egg mix, add the flour, cocoa, baking powder and chocolate and salt. Stir gently until smooth.

8. Once it’s cooled slightly, carefully add the melted butter and chocolate to the egg and flour mix, taking care not over mix or the chocolate will seize and go grainy.

9. Once the Bourbon base is cooked, pour the brownie mix over the top. Cut up the remaining 10 Bourbon biscuits in half diagonally and press gently into the top of the raw brownie mix. Return to the oven for a further 25-30 minutes.

10. To test the brownie use a skewer or sharp knife; you want to take the brownies out of the oven when the skewer comes out slightly dirty still, so your brownies will still be fudgy once they’ve cooled.

Brownies before baking

11. Once baked leave to cool and set in the tin - they will be very soft, but leave them to cool completely and they'll set up nicely. Cut into 24 pieces and serve.

These are best a day or two after baking, as the base becomes slightly less sweet, but still cuts through the richness of the brownie topping.

They'll keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

Happy Baking,

Cooked brownies

The Baking Ginger xx

Brownies ready to eat!

Cheat's Triple Millionaire's Shortbread

My Gran's Millionaire's Shortbread is my absolute favourite thing (although it is a close contest with Cheese Scones...). These are a bit of a cheat's version; they're made with Dulce De Leche, instead of the home made caramel which makes Gran's extra delicious, but they're a fantastic quick fix - waiting for them to be properly chilled is the hardest part!

You can get Dulce De Leche from any good supermarket, so give these a go!

Breadcrumbs

Cheat's Triple Millionaire's Shortbread

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients

12oz plain flour

8oz butter/marg

5oz caster sugar

450g jar of Dulce De Leche

250g chocolate (I used 75g white, 75g milk and 100g dark chocolate for the triple effect)

Baked shortbread base

9x13in tin

170oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

Method

1. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar.

2. Press the shortbread mix into a greased and lined baking tray, doing it this way makes the shortbread extra crumbly, which goes perfectly with sticky caramel.

Chocolate and Dulce De Leche

3. Bake the shortbread base in the centre of a preheated oven until very light golden brown, approx. 20/25 minutes.

4. Whilst the shortbread is baking weigh out the chocolate.

5. Once the shortbread is baked, leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then put in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill properly before you add the caramel.

Caramel layer before chilling

6. Once chilled spread the caramel over the shortbread, then put the whole thing back in the freezer for at least another half an hour or until the caramel feels solid enough to spread chocolate over.

7. Melt the chocolate (in a microwave is fine if you do it for 15 seconds then stir and microwave again if needs be), spread gently over the caramel - if you're using three types of chocolate start with the white first so you don't get any colour contamination. 

8. Chill in the freezer for another hour/fridge for at least 3 until the chocolate is completely hard.

9. Cut into 24 pieces; do this in the tin as it stops any slightly soft caramel escaping out of the sides of your Millionaire's. 

These are best enjoyed with a cup of tea, perfect for elevenses or afternoon tea! They'll keep in the fridge for up to a week, if they last that long...

Triple Chocolate!

This really is a great little cheat, it's not as good as Gran's, but when is anything ever as good as when your Gran bakes it?! 

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished Trio