As well as my annual shortbread recipe, it’s an Everything Looks Rosie tradition to share a seasonal brownie recipe every Christmas. You can see the archive here. This year is no different! These spiced Christmas tree brownies are infused with warming seasonal spice and clementine and will make your home smell instantly festive. To make them, you will need:
150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used milk)
150g unsalted butter
3 large eggs
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 clementine
3 tbsp port (optional – I made them without)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
a good pinch of ground cloves
several gratings of nutmeg
100g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
To decorate:
Sprinkles
White chocolate, melted (enough to drizzle over the top)
Chocolate fingers (optional).
Preheat the oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line a 23cm tin. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, or gently melt in the microwave (at a low setting); stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 20 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract.
Then beat in the clementine zest and juice, port (if using) and spices until just combined. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs and mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Fold into the chocolate mixture until just combined and there is no flour visible.
Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until set on top but still a little gooey inside.
Leave to cool completely in the tin before unmoulding. Cut the cooled brownie into 12 triangular tree-shaped wedges. Decorate with a generous drizzle of white chocolate, cutting the chocolate fingers into tree-trunk sized pieces proportional with your trees and sticking to the brownie with more melted chocolate.
Scatter with star sprinkles and leave to set.
Recipe for Christmas tree brownies via Sainsbury’s magazine.