Sour Cherry & Brazil Nut Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients

• 100g organic dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
• 150g unsalted butter, cubed, plus a little for the tin
• 75g organic cocoa powder
• 200g organic cane sugar
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt, finely ground
• 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 75g Doves Farm plain white flour
• 60g organic Brazil nuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Prepare the tin and cherriesHeat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Lightly butter a 20cm square tin and line with baking parchment, leaving enough overhang to lift out the brownies. Roughly chop the cherries, checking for any remaining stones. If they feel very firm, cover with hot water for 5 minutes, then drain well and pat dry.
2. Melt the butterMelt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Take off the heat and whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Stir in the sugar and finely ground salt. Leave for 5 minutes so the mixture is warm rather than hot.
3. Mix the batterBeat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture looks thick and glossy. Sift in the flour and fold just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the cherries and chopped Brazil nuts.
4. BakeScrape into the lined tin and smooth the top. Bake on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes. The edges should be set and the centre should no longer look liquid. A skewer inserted away from a cherry should come out with moist crumbs, not raw batter. Check from 25 minutes so the brownies do not dry out.
5. Cool before cuttingLeave in the tin on a wire rack for at least 1 hour, until completely cool. Lift out using the parchment and cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

A couple of changes

For a sharper, fruitier batch, leave out the Brazil nuts and increase the cherries to 130g. This does not make the recipe suitable for a nut allergy because the pantry ingredients have shared-packing warnings. For smaller bites to serve with coffee, cut the cooled slab into 25 pieces.

Keeping the rest

Keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 3 days. Freeze individual squares, separated with baking parchment, for up to 2 months. Defrost in their container before serving.