Perfect squares of chocolate brownies atop a cooling rack of other squares. Chocolate brownies are the thing for the time you need a little chocolate boost! Serve warm with your favourite vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients
125g plain flour
125g butter, plus a bit extra for greasing
175g caster sugar
2 free range eggs
55g good quality cocoa powder
½tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

Chocolate Butter Icing (optional)
50g good quality dark chocolate
100g butter, softened
200g icing sugar
A tiny bit of milk.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325F/Gas 3. Grease out your baking tin with a bit of butter.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and the eggs. Add the melted butter and whisk the mixture together.

Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder to the mixture and add the salt, and fold into the mixture. Add a little mix to soften if necessary, as it’s quite a firm mix (thick with chocolate!)

Spoon the chocolatey mixture into your baking tin and smooth out the top.

Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes. Leave to cool.

If you have some extra time, you can whip up some chocolate buttercream icing to go on top of the brownies.

Simply break up the dark chocolate into pieces and put them into a small glass bowl over simmering water. Wait until it melts and then allow the chocolate to cool. Add the icing sugar to the softened butter and then beat them together. Fold in the melted chocolate and mix until completely incorporated. Add a little milk to loosen the mixture. Spread on to your brownies and enjoy!

Update: for a more luxurious brownie, try these Chocolate Truffle Brownies.