Nigella Lawson’s Quick & Easy Emergency Brownie Recipe

THE queen of the micro-wavey has an incredible recipe for super fudgy brownies that are really quick to make. 

Nigella Lawson’s ‘emergency brownies’ are for “those times you urgently need a brownie, but don’t want to make or, rather, can’t justify making a whole batch”. 

Nigella Lawson’s ’emergency brownies’ are ideal for yourself or a few friends.Credit: GETTY

Emergency brownies are a must at the weekendCredit: GETTY

The chef said her recipe is ideal for when “you just need a brownie for yourself or a couple of friends” and you don’t need “many ingredients”.

In fact, she makes the whole process easier by using a disposable foil tray rather than a baking tin, so there is minimal clean-up. 

“It is worth keeping takeaway-style foil tins in the house just to make these,” she added. “Take my word for it, it will be a frequent occurrence. 

This recipe, which is featured in Nigella’s At My Table 2017 book, makes two (four if needs be) fudgy brownies to be snaffled straight from the tin.

“And they can be turned into glorious sundaes: squodge into glasses with ice cream, pour a little maple syrup over and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.”

Ingredients:

• 50g soft unsalted butter
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 1 x 15ml tablespoon maple or golden syrup
• 3 x 15ml tablespoons plain flour
• 3 x 15ml tablespoons cocoa
• Quarter of a teaspoon of salt
• One large egg (at room temperature)
• One teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50g walnut pieces (optional)
• 50g dark or milk chocolate chips (optional)

All the ingredients get mixed into the same bowlCredit: GETTY

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/325°F. Put the butter, sugar and maple or golden syrup into a small saucepan and gently warm, stirring once or twice, until the butter’s melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
2. Mix the flour, cocoa and salt in a separate bowl, then beat into the butter and sugar pan with a wooden spoon or spatula until smoothly combined.
3. Whisk the egg with the vanilla — just casually, by hand — then stir into the pan, giving a final little whisk, if needed, to make sure everything’s mixed together thoroughly, before folding in the nuts and chocolate chips. Pour and scrape this nubbly brownie batter into a foil tin measuring approx. 
4. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it is beginning to come away at the sides and the top has dried a little just around the edges.
5. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool — but not completely. Nigella leaves the brownies 20-30 minutes so the “first bite is still warm but just set enough to cut into two squidgy squares”. 
6. She added: “If your need is not so great, or you want them to go further, cut each square in half again.”