Hocus Pocus Brownies

Instructions for Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies

1. Begin by lining your square pan with parchment paper and preheating an oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan).
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients - the eggs, water, oil and vanilla - until emulsified.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together into the mixing bowl on top of the wet ingredients. This is the sugars, flour, cocoa and salt.
4. Mix the dry into the wet using a spatula, stirring until just combined. Then add the milk chocolate chunks and stir to incorporate.
5. Pour the thick batter into your lined baking tray and spread into an even layer.
6. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, testing with a toothpick. When this is inserted into the centre and comes out mostly clean (but not entirely), your brownies are done.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely (at least two hours) before removing from the pan and slicing.

Instructions for Ganache

1. Meanwhile, make your ganache. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat until simmering.
2. Pour this over the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and allow to sit for two minutes, then stir until smooth.
3. Set aside for an hour or so, until the brownies are ready and the ganache is thick enough to be pipe-able.

Instructions for Assembly

1. Put the ganache in a piping bag or a plastic bag with sharp corners. Cut the tip off the bag leaving about a ⅛" opening.
2. Slice the brownies into 12 rectangles (see image in the blog post).
3. Fix a candy eye to each of the brownie slices, using a small amount of ganache to hold these in place. For the Hocus Pocus spell book design, place the eye about halfway down (lengthwise) on the right side of the brownie.
4. Pipe a ganache ring around the candy eye.
5. Then pipe a line down the lefthand side for the book binding - I do this by making a zigzag line (about ¼" wide), then a straight line overlaying and top with another zigzag. See the image in the blog post. Alternatively simply pipe a line or a zigzag or ganache.
6. Finally pipe a couple of clasps on the right side corners. I do this by piping semi circles crossed with a straight line (as in the images in the post).