brownies for my loves

Valentine's Day is celebrated quietly in our home. A card for my love, a bunch of tulips for me and some home baked treats for our little loves.

On Saturday, I baked brownies. The most indulgent, fudgiest brownies you can imagine. They are so delicious it would be a crime not to share the recipe with you.

Brownies (makes 16)

Ingredients

170g butter

200g caster sugar

100g soft dark brown sugar

100g cocoa powder

50g flour

1tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

3 large eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 20x20cm deep baking tin. 

Melt the butter over a medium heat until it turns golden brown. Leave aside to cool slightly. Beat the two sugars and the eggs together. Add the vanilla extract and melted butter and beat until they form a smooth batter.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt a little at a time and fold in gently. The ingredients will gradually come together into a thick mixture. 

Fill the prepared cake tin with the brownie mix. Put in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Test with a skewer. There should be a few crumbs on the skewer when they are ready. Be careful not to overbake or they will lose their chewy texture. Allow to cool on a rack. When cool, cut into 16 squares and enjoy.

Joining in with the #abakefortheweekend and #createmakeshare hashtags.

late winter days

This morning we were awakened by sunshine streaming through our bedroom windows. An unusual occurrence this wet, grey and stormy winter. An opportunity to get outdoors. One we didn't want to miss. So we took off exploring, searching for signs of spring. We were perhaps a little eager, as this far north it seems everything is a little slow in stirring from the long sleep of winter.

But, we happily found signs that spring may well be on its way and that these precious late winter days deserve to be savoured too. It was cold and bright, and the sun shone warm on occasion. We listened to birdsong and marvelled at the tiny wonders of nature. Beautiful blue skies and wispy clouds were a pretty backdrop to the bare branches just beginning to bud. And we discovered a carpet of snowdrops in full bloom. 

Tomorrow we're hoping to go adventuring again. This time to the coast. Fingers crossed we wake up to sunshine streaming through the windows again.