Cuts into 20
Preparation time 30 minutes, soaking
Cooking time 25–30 minutes
3 tablespoons white or dark rum
100 g (3½ oz) raisins 250 g (8 oz) plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces
250 g (8 oz) butter
4 eggs
200 g (7 oz) caster sugar
75 g (3 oz) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100 g (3½ oz) white or milk chocolate
Warm the rum gently in a small saucepan. Add the raisins and leave to soak for 2 hours or overnight. Heat the dark chocolate and butter gently in a saucepan until both have just melted, taking care not to scorch the chocolate.
Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until the mixture is very thick and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted above it.
Fold the warm chocolate and butter into the whisked eggs and sugar. Sift the flour and baking powder over the top, then fold through. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 18 x 28 cm (7 x 11 inch) roasting tin lined with nonstick baking paper and ease into the corners. Spoon the rum-soaked raisins over the top. Bake in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, for 25–30 minutes until well risen; the top should be crusty and cracked and the centre still slightly soft. Leave to cool and harden in the tin.
Lift out of the tin using the lining paper. To make the topping, melt the white or milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), then drizzle over the top of the brownies. Leave to harden, then cut into 20 even-sized pieces. Peel off and discard the paper. Store the brownies in an airtight tin for up to 3 days.
For triple chocolate brownies, omit the rum-soaked raisins and instead sprinkle 100 g (3½ oz) finely chopped milk chocolate and 100 g (3½ oz) finely chopped white chocolate over the mixture just before baking. Bake as above, then omit the chocolate topping.