Bake yourself these chocolate fudge brownies frosted with dark chocolate ganache ready for when a chocolate craving hits. These brownies have a delectable truffle-like texture and are dangerously good served with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. 

I’ve taken my go-to Chocolate Fudge Brownies to the next level of deliciousness by covering them in silky smooth chocolate ganache and topping with M&M chocolates (FYI I actually didn’t realise until now that the last two recipes I’ve shared have both contained M&M’s!). Decorate and dress up your batch of brownies as you wish, you can leave them plain or beautify them as much as you want.

As the title describes these brownies are scrumptiously fudgy in texture just like a rich chocolate truffle, so if you’re more into cakey brownies then this recipe might not be what you’re looking for, but that said this brownie recipe has converted even the most chocolate dessert loathing person I know!

I’m a lover of all types of brownies, both cakey and fudge, but these fudge brownies have the edge for me.

This recipe is little more lengthy than other brownie recipes but it’s definitely well worth the wait. I say this because once baked, the brownies will need to be left to set for at least 6 hours, I usually make mine in advance and leave them overnight, then the ganache will need to be left to set at room temperature for an additional couple of hours on top of that.

The brownies are best stored in the fridge and because I baked mine on a really hot day, I found that my ganache took a little longer to set because of the heat and the brownies were very soft (just something to take into account). They’re far easier to slice up into pieces when they’ve been chilled for a while in the fridge, plus once they’ve been in the fridge they go all dense and even yummier in my opinion!

This is the perfect treat yourself brownie – it has tonnes of chocolate flavour and the ganache layer just makes these even more special!

We love these brownies as they are even without the luxurious ganache topping, however I feel the ganache makes these into a restaurant-worthy dessert. My sister and I took the M&M’s off a couple of squares of these brownies and microwaved them for about 20-30 seconds and the brownies went all gooey and reminded us of a molten lava chocolate pudding.

These brownies are an all-round favourite and this recipe will not let you down. Grab your apron and ingredients and get ready to bake up a storm and some of the most sinful brownies you’ll ever taste!

(Makes approx. 16-24 small pieces)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Fudge Brownies:

200g butter (salted or unsalted), cut into small cubes

200g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 large free-range eggs

2 large free-range egg yolks

270g caster sugar

115g plain flour

35g cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache:

200g dark chocolate, cut into 2cm pieces

200ml double cream

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)

Method:

1. To make the brownies: Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20cm) square tin with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Set this mixture aside and leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile whisk the eggs and egg yolks together until combined. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
4. In large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, sift the cocoa powder over the top and mix until thoroughly combined and no lumps of flour remain.
5. Now add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined, try not to over mix otherwise this may result in your baked brownies being tough. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake the brownies for 40-45 minutes, they’ll be ready when they’re risen, the top has started to slightly crack and a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
6. Leave the brownies to cool completely in the tin, then once cooled leave them to set for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
7. To make the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Heat the cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan until bubbles just begin to appear on the surface and just before it starts to come up to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until mostly melted. Now add the butter and continue to stir until smooth. Directly place a piece of clingfilm on the top of the ganache and leave it at room temperature for about two hours until spreadable.
8. Every spread the ganache on top of the now cooled brownie and further decorate as you desire – I decorated mine with M&M chocolates, at this point I highly recommend chilling the brownies for a bit before slicing.
9. When ready to serve, slice the brownies into 16-24 squares – because of the ganache layer you might want to cut the pieces a little smaller as these brownies are very rich. Brownies will store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Notes:

• My oven is fan assisted and even though the recipe states to bake the brownies at 140°C Fan, I’ve always baked mine at 160°C Fan instead to ensure they’re not too undercooked.
• Serve the brownies as they are or with ice cream, pouring or whipped cream and fruit. I like to serve my brownies with fruit, because it cuts through the richness of the brownie.
• Usually I would say this brownie (without the ganache) serves about 16, however with the ganache layer they’re even more decadent so I reckon you could slice the brownies into 24 smaller pieces.

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