Top tips for baking perfect brownies

Here at Biscuiteers, we’re world famous for our hand-iced biscuit gifts. However, over the last 16 years we’ve baked and delicately decorated plenty of other perfect presents too - from shortbread to chocolates and most recently, macarons.

Now, in celebration of our sweet 16th birthday, we’re adding another treat to our portfolio of presents, a collection of perfectly indulgent, limited edition, hand-iced birthday brownies!

After lots of research, countless batches of brownie baking and the oh-so difficult task of taste testing, we’ve not only created a collection of decadent brownies topped with a glossy ganache and hand-iced birthday decoration, we’ve also picked up several tips and tricks to make the best brownies each and every time! Follow these 8 top tips for making perfect brownies:
1. Choosing the best chocolate
When sourcing the ingredients for your brownie bake it’s important to use the best quality cocoa powder and chocolate you can find. Belgian and Swiss chocolates are usually the best and are not difficult to find in big supermarkets. A richer chocolate results in a more intense tasting brownie, if you were to opt for a milk chocolate your brownies will have a milder flavour. We recommend you use pure cocoa powder or dark chocolate with a minimum of 60% cocoa, with the best results being a 75% cocoa chocolate.
2. Melt your chocolate using the Bain-Marie set up
It's best to melt your chocolate over a low heat to avoid burning. The easiest way to do this is with the Bain-Marie set up. This technique is used when cooking delicate dishes and is designed to avoid any curdling or burning.

To set this up, all you need to do is place a heat proof bowl filled with your chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water, the steam from the water will create an even, gentle heat that will melt your chocolate. Make sure your heatproof bowl doesn’t touch the base of your saucepan, also avoid overfilling your saucepan with water.
3. Beat your eggs and sugar well
4. Carefully mix in your dry ingredients
When you’re ready to add your dry ingredients to the brownie batter, be careful not to overmix. You don’t want to ruin the beautiful, light structure that was created by whipping the eggs and sugar. Over mixing the batter could mean your brownies won’t rise well in the oven.

We recommend sifting in your dry ingredients rather than throwing them straight into the batter, this will aerate the mixture and break up any lumps meaning you can quickly incorporate them into the wet mixture.
5. Find the best baking position
To get the perfect bake, be sure to position your brownies in the middle of your oven. If the tray is too close to the bottom, then the bottom of your brownies could burn before the top gets a chance to bake. If it is too close to the top, then the top will bake too fast and leave raw brownie batter on the bottom.
6. Add complimentary flavours
Adding a touch of vanilla extract (not vanilla flavouring) and sea salt to your brownie mixture makes everything better! Make sure not to use table salt though! Go for a good quality flaky sea salt. The contrast of the sweet and salt adds complexity to the brownies.
7. Let your brownies cool before cutting
However inviting your freshly baked brownies may appear when they’re fresh from the oven, it's important to let them cool down for 10-15 minutes before you take them out the pan and cut, otherwise your creation may crumble right before you!

When it's time to cut your brownie sections, use a hot knife (you can do this by running under hot water) and clean it between cuts for a nice professional looking finish.
8. Top your brownies with a ganache
If, like our Biscuiteers Birthday Brownies, you want to top your bake with a ganache, make sure you mix a dark chocolate with a milk or 50% cocoa chocolate - the higher the cocoa content the higher the chance your ganache may split and curdle.

When heating your cream, make sure to bring this to a simmer rather than a boil, this will avoid creating a burnt taste in your ganache.

Finally, once you’ve poured the cream over the chocolate, leave it for a minute, allowing the chocolate to melt, then gently mix, stopping as soon as the chocolate is completely melted - this will guarantee a shiny and smooth ganache!
And there you have it, our top tips for making and decorating brownies. Remember, as with everything in baking, practice makes perfect…so keep practising!