Sometimes it helps to get a little expert assistance to help improve your cooking skills. LucyCooks in the Lake District run a wide range of hands on family cooking courses. And once you've learnt some new tricks of the trade, you can pass them on to the rest of the family.
Chocolate recipes tend to be immensely popular with children, who can always be relied upon to lick the bowl clean at the end.
Here's a delicious-sounding but simple recipe from LucyCooks for Triple Chocolate Brownies. Of course, the only down side of cooking these with your children is that then you'll have to share the finished result...
Here's the recipe:
Triple Chocolate Brownies
These are moist, rich and decadent and studded with extra chunks of chocolate – an American classic which we like served with a good vanilla ice cream
Serves 5
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 30 – 60 minutes
Ingredients
140g/5oz plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
140g/5oz unsalted butter
140g/5oz plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
160g/6oz caster sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp vanilla essence
40g/1 ½ oz milk chocolate, cut into large chunks
40g/1 ½ oz white chocolate, cut into large chunks
40g/1 ½ oz pecans, broken into pieces and lightly roasted
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F/Gas 4.
Line a 30 x 20 x 3.5cm (12 x 8 x 1½in) tin with lightly buttered greaseproof paper or foil.
Put the plain chocolate and butter in a large bowl, place over a pan of simmering water and allow to melt.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla essence then fold in the flour, the chocolate chunks and the nuts.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared cake tin. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. When cooked, the top should be firm but the inside should feel soft. Allow to cool in the tin.
Remove the brownies from the tin and cut into squares to serve with either double jersey, chocolate ice cream or with sauce anglaise.
To learn how to cook this recipe and lots of other delicious goodies, check out the LucyCooks Family Fun Days cookery courses, full details here.