Leftover Christmas Chocolate Brownies

When Christmas is finally over, all the presents have been given out, the cheese selection in the fridge devoured and the fizzy wine popped, what is always left? Chocolate.

Let’s face it, it’s the perfect gift to give to anyone and everyone. Colleagues at work you don’t really like that much? Chocolate. The cleaner? Chocolate. That distant auntie you only ever see at Christmas? Chocolate. Everyone likes chocolate, and it’s inexpensive, which is a great help!

So in my lounge is a huge bowl choc full (excuse the pun!) of Cadburys roses, Reeces peanut butter cups, Lindt truffles..and no matter how many after dinner cups of tea and an ‘oh go on then only one’ moments I have..the supply doesn’t seem to reduce!

But you can’t just throw away good chocolate..so I’ve cobbled together this lovely recipe that will end that stash and produce something even tastier. Which is also freezable, so you can chuck it at the bottom of the chest freezer and dig it out as an when, normally once the post Christmas buldge has had a chance to reduce. Chocolate brownies. Oh yes!

These brownies are really sweet and fudgey, perfect with a hot drink as a treat once in a while. Usually I use rich dark chocolate in brownies but with this recipe it didn’t really allow (depends on what chocolate you have left over!) but it was still lovely. The more refined milk chocolate type leftovers you have, the less sugar you should need to add, so just chop and change as necessary – you can’t really go wrong.

Christmas Chocolate Leftover Brownies:

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup leftover chocolates
  • 2-3 cubes of 70-80% dark chocolate
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa)
  • 1 and a bit cups full fat greek yoghurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Optional Extras:
    Chopped nuts
    Toffee chunks
    Chocolate chips

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
  2. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl
  3. Melt the chocolates in a bain-marie, over a low heat to prevent them burning
  4. In a seperate bowl, combine together the melted chocolate with the yoghurt, cacao, sugar and vanilla
  5. Mix all the ingredients together until fully combined.
  6. Add any optional extras – I particularly like brazil nuts or chopped pieces of toffee (if using toffee make sure to combine in the batter as if you place them on the top of the mix they sink down when baking!)
  7. Pour mixture into a prepared brownie pan (or if you are ill-prepared like me, use an oven dish that’s too big and use parchment paper to try and fashion a smaller vessel!) A pan of around 8×8 inches should be perfect, any bigger and the brownies will be a little thin.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for around 30-35 minutes, test the centre with a toothpick to ensure there is no wet batter left before removing from the oven.
  9. Cool and enjoy!

A really nice treat to have a hot brownie, knowing that it’s used all the leftover milk tray that I would have no doubt grazed on for weeks. Perfect to share with friends or if you’re really feeling sick of all the festive indulgence, put these heavenly slices in the freezer individually wrapped in cling film and bring out whenever you are most in need.

Fingers crossed you’ll have most of the ingredients you need without having to pop to the shops – I know I had most of the list in my kitchen cupboards, a bonus is not needing any eggs or butter with this one, just an inexpensive tub of greek yoghurt works wonders.

x

 

 

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