As it’s getting closer to Easter and I’ve been getting ready for the Easter Bunny coming chez SmartCookieSam, it’s got me started to think about some Easter recipes. Usually I look at what Easter Chocolates are around in the shop although I’m surprised the mini eggs have lasted that long. Once a packet is open in our house, that’s it! Where did they go?

The other day when I was doing my weekly shop in Tesco, I spotted some Terry’s Chocolate Orange Mini Eggs. I hadn’t seen them before and thought as chocolate orange is one of those flavours lots of people love, I just had to incorporate them into a bake somehow. I had some Sugar and Crumbs’ Chocolate Orange Cocoa Powder and originally thought about a chocolate orange cupcake. Instead I made Chocolate Orange Brownies and they have been a huge success. So much so, I am going to make some more for Easter itself. These were tested out at work and on my family and they went down a treat.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE BROWNIES
Makes 12-16, depending on how big you like them.

You need a 23cm square, loose bottomed tin greased and lined with baking paper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 200g orange chocolate (I used Tesco’s own version)
• 125g unsalted butter
• 4 medium eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 100g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder (I used orange flavoured cocoa powder from Sugar and Crumbs)
• 3 x 80g bags of Terry’s Chocolate Orange Mini Eggs

How to make these delectable brownies:

• Pre-heat the oven to 160oC (fan).
• Melt your chocolate and butter together. I melt mine in the microwave, doing it in 20 second blasts but if you prefer, you can do it the traditional way melting it over a pan of simmering water on the hob.
• In a stand mixer or by hand, beat the eggs and the caster sugar together until it becomes light and fluffy.
• Fold in the melted chocolate and butter mixture.
• Then fold in the flour and the cocoa powder.
• Finally, add two of the packets of mini eggs to the mixture.
• Spoon the mixture into your tin and level out carefully.
• To finish, stud the remaining packet of mini eggs into the top of the brownie mixture at random intervals.
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes if you want a fudgy texture and for a cakey texture, keep the brownies in for 5 minutes longer.
• Allow to cool in the tin for about half an hour.
• Cut the brownies into either 12 or 16 squares depending on how big you like them, while still inside the tin.
• Remove from the tin when completely cool.

Happy Baking!

Love Sam xx