Mini Egg Brownies

Rich, dense and fudgy, these Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies are a simple and effective way of turning the humble brownie into a pretty Easter treat.

Easter may still be numerous weeks away, but Mini Eggs don't hang around in the shops for long afterwards, so my policy is always to start snapping up bags as soon as they hit the supermarket shelves.

I've heard it said many times that memories are often associated with food. And I have to agree. Mini Eggs remind me of my wonderful Gran. She had a soft spot for them and I seem to have inherited that fondness for these chocolates from her. I cannot seem to eat a single Mini Egg without thinking about her and for that food association, I am so very grateful.

What Makes This Recipes Special

Normally, I'm quite happy to consume my mini eggs straight from the bag, thinking happy thoughts. But for once, I decided to reign in my eagerness to eat them straight away and put them to use in a bake instead.

What I've come up with is a classic recipe, but one that is delightfully colourful. These Mini Egg Brownies manage to deliver a whopping hit of soft, fudgy and irresistible dark chocolate flavour, along with a gentle shimmer of white chocolate drizzle across the top.

That drizzle is essential to secure those all-important crisp mini egg chunks. The result is a blend of gooey brownies with bright, colourful & crunchy Mini Egg pieces. These Mini Egg Brownies are a very pretty rendition of the classic, without being over the top.

It goes without saying really, but they are ideal for Easter.

Types of Brownie

Baking brownies is relatively new to me. I baked some when I was about 20, they came out terribly and I didn't return to baking them until very recently.

Obviously, in the interim period, I have savoured all manner of brownie delights in cafes and restaurants. Now older and considerably wiser, I know what I'm looking for in my ideal brownie. Let me explain.

At their heart, brownies consist of just a few simple ingredients: butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs, and flour. But depending on the ratios of these ingredients, and how they are combined & baked, very different results can be achieved. In fact, brownies can roughly be divided into 3 main camps:

• Fudgy
• Chewy
• Cakey

Do you know which brownie type you are? I am 100% in the fudgy category. And guess what, these Mini Egg Brownies are just that - fudgy and utterly delicious.

The rules of brownie making are not clear cut though. Take a look in cookbooks and online recipes and very few recipes will be the same. Here's a (very) rough guide to help you find your ideal brownie recipes.

Fudgy Brownies

• These beauties typically use a relatively small amount of flour
• To achieve a great fudgy texture, the butter is melted with the chocolate (like in this recipe) rather than creaming the butter and sugar together
• Brown sugar is included to improve fudginess
• Oh and a little extra egg yolk can make all the difference - egg yolks add richness

Chewy Brownies

• An additional whole egg really helps here
• And combining different types of chocolate - dark chocolate has a high proportion of starches, helping to stiffen the brownie texture. Milk chocolate produces a creamier texture, so when the two combine in a brownie, a satisfyingly chewy result can be expected

Cakey Brownies

• These contain less butter and more flour than fudgy brownies
• The butter is creamed with the sugar rather than melted with the chocolate. (Creaming incorporates air into the mixture, which causes the brownies to rise)
• Baking powder is added to make them softer and lighter
• Milk is often added to soften the resulting brownie

Ingredients for Fudgy Easter Brownies

These mini egg brownies are created from a handful of simple ingredients:

• Butter
• Dark chocolate
• White sugar - caster or granulated
• Dark brown muscovado sugar - helps create the fudgy texture
• Eggs
• Egg yolks - again, this helps with the rich, dense texture
• Vanilla extract - optional
• Salt - this helps to draw out the rich chocolate flavour
• Cocoa powder
• Flour
• White chocolate - for the drizzle
• Mini eggs

Step by Step Instructions

These mini egg brownies can be in the oven within around 10 minutes and they are very simple to decorate. Here are the instructions:

1. Preheat (fan) oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM4 and line a baking tin with butter and parchment
2. Weigh out the sugar and break down any lumps in the muscovado sugar using your fingers
3. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a bain-marie or in short 30 second bursts in a microwave
4. Stir in the sugars
5. Add the eggs & yolks and beat to just combine using a handheld balloon whisk
6. Stir in the vanilla extract
7. Sieve the flour, cocoa and salt into the batter and mix until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain
8. Pour into the tin and bake for 20 minutes. At this point test with a toothpick - insert it into the centre of the brownie - if raw batter is evident on the stick continue to back for another 2-3 minutes and test again. Continue until the toothpick comes out with no raw batter clinging to it
9. Take the tin out of the oven and let the brownie cool completely in the tin
10. When cool chop the mini eggs and melt the white chocolate
11. Drizzle the chocolate over the uncut brownies, scatter the chunks of mini eggs over the top, cut into squares and leave to set

Tips and FAQs

Expert Tips

• Choose the right recipe. Use this one for a soft, fudgy style brownie, but look elsewhere if your ideal brownie is cake-like (you can still top them with the white chocolate and mini eggs
• Always line your tin, even if it claims to be non-stick. Brownies are not easy to remove from baking tins without a liner
• Watch the cook time - or use a timer. It is important not to over or under bake your brownie. Undercooking fudgy brownies can lead to a gooey (but tasty) mess, whilst overbaking chewy brownies can make them too tough to swallow.
• As a general rule, begin testing your brownie for doneness at the minimum suggested cooking time the recipe stipulates, if not before - all oven temperatures do vary slightly
• Use a toothpick to test doneness - insert it into the centre of the brownie and if any raw batter comes up with the stick, continue to bake for another 2-3 minutes, then retest. The brownie is done when no raw batter is evident on the stick - crumbs are fine though
• Once cooked, always let brownies cool in the pan
• Never cut them until they are completely cold. They have a tendancy to split & crumble if cut when still warm

Frequently Asked Questions

More fun Easter Recipes to Try

Have you made these mini egg brownies? I hope you enjoyed them. Let me know how you got along by leaving a comment or rating below. You can also show me your creation on Instagram by tagging me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.