The Return of the White Chocolate Brownie
Much like the chocolate chip cookie, everybody has their own brownie preference and texture. Some like them firm, some like them gooey, some like them nutty or fruity – but have you tried the kind with white chocolate?
I really wish this killer combo was my own stroke of genius, but it’s actually Costa Coffee’s. This brownie is now, however, discontinued, and God knows why they took it off the menu. It was by far my favourite sweet treat they had to offer, and to this day, the best brownie I’ve eaten in a coffee shop (I’m not kidding).
Costa has a bit of a habit of removing great things from their counters – they also got rid of their classic all day breakfast sandwich in place of an all day breakfast roll, which just isn’t the same. I was absolutely obsessed with this sandwich growing up, so much so that I wrote a letter to them to complain, at the mere age of ten.
I’m still waiting for a response.
In an attempt to recreate the Costa brownie, I started by following the base of a Donna Hay recipe, but played around with the chocolate content and some of the assembly stages.
On my first attempt, they were a bit dried out since I cooked them in too big a tin [see below] and for a bit too long. Most of the chocolate chunks also either entirely disappeared into the batter or sunk to the bottom – still delicious, but not quite transporting me back to Costa’s good old days.
My second attempt, however, was far superior, and here are some tips I picked up along the way to achieve the desired result:
Can I use cooking chocolate?
Cooking chocolate is usually cheaper and comes in bigger packets, but you will notice a difference in quality. I find it has quite a grainy taste and for a recipe like this where the chocolate is the star of the show, I would really recommend you get yourself a nice bar.
How do I stop the chocolate from sinking to the bottom?
Coat the chunks of chocolate in a bit of flour to stop them from sinking – it works like magic!
Can I use vanilla essence?
If you can’t find extract, then you certainly can use essence, but extract is so much better and you can definitely taste the difference.
How do I achieve the perfect bake?
A brownie should be ready when the top feels set to touch and a toothpick inserted is no longer runny. If in doubt, it’s much better to have them undercooked than overcooked – worst case scenario, you can quickly return them to the oven for another five to ten minutes.
Storage and Consumption
Like all of my recipes, I recommend eating these warm out of the oven with friends and family, but you can enjoy them for up to a week if stored in an airtight container. If you’d like to prolong their shelf-life even further, you can easily freeze them in bulk – just make sure to cool them completely and wrap them well before storing away!
Visual Steps
Perhaps you’re another die-hard Costa customer who also misses this discontinued brownie – whether or not you are, I think it will be quite hard not fall in love with this combination:
White Chocolate Brownies
Equipment
- 20cm square cake tin
Ingredients
- 175 g unsalted butter melted, plus extra to grease
- 130 g brown sugar
- 290 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 150 g plain flour plus extra to coat the chocolate
- 75 g cocoa powder
- 150 g white chocolate chopped into 1cm chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ gas/160℃ fan. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and both sugars. Add in the vanilla extract and one egg at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Sift in the plain flour and cocoa powder and stir until almost combined.
- In a separate, small bowl, coat the chocolate in the extra flour before adding to the mix and stirring one last time. Spoon into the prepared tin and spread evenly.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the brownie is set [see notes]. Serve warm with some pouring cream or a generous scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- A brownie should be ready when the top feels set to touch and a toothpick inserted is no longer runny. If in doubt, it’s much better to have them undercooked than overcooked – worst case scenario, you can quickly return them to the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
I invite you to try out these new techniques leave me a review down below. I always love hearing from readers, so if you have any questions or would simply like to connect, fill out the form on my contact page or message me through my social media accounts:
