Pear and hazelnut brownies

These pear and hazelnut brownies are rich, chocolatey and wonderfully fudgy, with juicy pieces of pear and crunchy toasted hazelnuts. They’re really easy to make, too – no mixer needed! I use two types of dark chocolate, with 50% and 70% cocoa solids, for a lovely deep chocolate flavour. Pears and hazelnuts go beautifully with chocolate, making these brownies a perfect autumn treat :).

Ingredients for the pear and hazelnut brownies:

• 180 g butter
• 100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
• 150 g dark chocolate (50% cocoa solids), chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g caster sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 350 g pears in syrup or from a tin of pears in juice*
• 60 g blanched hazelnuts

All the ingredients should be at room temperature. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan or in the oven (at 180°C), stirring occasionally.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped dark chocolate to the hot butter and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until you have a smooth chocolate sauce. Leave to cool (or until just slightly warm, but NOT HOT). The mixture should remain runny.

Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl with a hand whisk (do not beat until fluffy). Add the vanilla extract and sugar, and whisk for a little while until thoroughly combined. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture and stir with a whisk. Sift the flour and baking powder directly into the chocolate mixture, add the salt and fold together just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into a 28 x 18 cm tin (or a 23 cm square tin), greased with butter and lined with baking paper. Arrange the sliced pears over the top and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.

Bake at 160°C (fan) or 180°C (conventional) for about 33–35 minutes. The brownie will rise slightly and may crack around the edges or develop a wrinkled surface. A skewer inserted into the centre may come out wet, but there should be no traces of raw batter. However, we don’t usually test brownies with a skewer, as it isn’t a particularly reliable way to check whether they’re done.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before cutting into squares. Decorate with chocolate ganache.

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:

• 40 ml double cream
• 40 g dark chocolate, chopped

Heat the double cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and glossy.

*You can also use fresh, ripe (soft) pears.

Enjoy!