easy chocolate brownies perfect for making with gran kids

Grandson highly allergic to egg- so no thanks. If you find an egg-free one, would love to know. But- if I may, brownies are so easy to make, why not just make your own from scratch, and not a packet?

Brownies Serves 12

100 g (4 oz) margarine
50 g (2 oz) plain chocolate
175 g (6 oz) dark soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
1 x 2.5 ml spoon (½ tsp) vanilla essence
100 g (4 oz) Be-Ro Self Raising Flour
pinch salt
50 g (2 oz) chopped walnuts


1 Heat oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Grease a tin 28 x 18 cm (11 x 7 inch).
2 Melt the margarine and chocolate over hot water. Remove from heat and cool.
3 Stir in sugar and add eggs, mixed with vanilla essence.
4 Mix in flour, salt and nuts.
5 Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 25-30 minutes until top is crispy and the inside soft.
6 Leave in the tin until cold before cutting into squares.

Almost as quick as the packet- and at least you know exactly what is in them, and grandson learns that it is easy to make things from scratch- no need for packets.

I don't think there's anything wrong with using the occasional packet mix - if you don't bake regularly you're unlikely to have that list of ingredients in the back of your cupboard!

At least it would get the CG interested in cooking generally.

I agree with you totally Ana.

I can hardly believe some of the posts on GN sometimes.

Nor is there anything wrong with taking short cuts at any time... !

I'm always happy to have recommendations for a store cupboard shortcut. Thanks, ruby6918.

So Gransnet!

Someone posts on GN that she does Thing A.

Other posters come along and say Why don't you do Thing B or C instead?

By the way, Lidl has a fab recipe for choclate brownies. It uses butter which is at least 300% better than margarine imo.

Crossed posts, gknot . Seems we had similar thoughts.

... and I prefer butter too it's the business.

I was raised on butter - despite there not being much money around when I was growing up, my mother insisted that we have butter. So far I don't have any of the problems usually associated with eating butter and I've enjoyed it for over 60 years

Or should I say perceived to be or supposedly associated with eating butter!

Do you think it matter if the butter is salted or unsalted thatbags? I accidentally bought 2 huge tubs of unsalted Lurpak a couple of weeks back. I think I was dazzled by the offer price and didn't realize until I spread it on some bread to make a jam buttie. I was so disappointed as it has virtually no taste, it just feels like butter. DGD said it tastes like water, which kind of sums it up. I must try and use it up somehow though. Can't afford to waste it.

I'm going to buy some dark chocolate later this morning, after taking Minibags to an appointment and dropping her off at school, and then I shall make those lush choco brownies [yum emoticon]

Hi gillybob. I don't think it matters. I use unsalted butter on bread because that's what I like but I tend to use salted butter in recipes. I think a little salt helps bring out other flavours. If I use salted butter for this recipe I think I'll just miss out the added pinch of salt that the recipe includes.

I've made chocolate brownies from scratch for years, until I bought the Ghirardelli brownie mix from Costco. About £6 for four big packets. If you get the chance, try them - they're fabulous.

Although I bake from scratch, (using butter) I mostly use mixes with GD aged just 5, because it is easy for her and the results are relatively instant gratification.

I feel she is learning the basics at a very early age, that will set her on the road to home cooking. She always takes the results home to her dear parents!

I do make biscuit dough the day before and put it in the fridge overnight, so she can use the cutters and do the decoration. Otherwise the process is too long. x

I do the same with bread dough, J52, so the children have time to play with making shapes and it can go in the oven in time for them to try it. My favourite bread-making session was when four year old grandson wanted to put cheese on top of his elephant-shaped loaf. He didn't want the grated cheese his brother had sprinkled on his pizza, but opted for slapping a Dairylea triangle on top! 'There you go, nana!' He ate it!

Admittedly my GD was a bit older (9?) when she took over my kitchen on a Saturday afternoon. First of all she would go to the computer and research recipes which she then printed off. Having assured herself that I had the right ingredients, she set about baking whatever she had decided. The whole process was both pleasurable and educational. I still have her folder of recipes among my cook-books.
Guess who did all the clearing up!

DS used to make a boiled fruit cake every week from the age of about 10 or 11; it is easy but comes out well. He is now an excellent cook.

The trouble with chocolate brownies (or any cake) is that they are so moreish. I would have to make the DGC take them all home!

Unsalted butter is excellent in cakes. Better than salted. I don't know why.

I always send home what they've made. When I asked for my cake box back a couple of weeks ago, SiL retrieved it from his car. He'd pinched the remaining cupcakes and eaten them whilst driving to a distant meeting venue. Grandaughters NOT happy with him.

Do you never nibble even one whenim? Or two or three?

You are stronger-willed than me!

Yes, I always thought you used unsalted butter in cakes for some reason - then the recipe sometimes says to add salt! Perhaps there is too much in salted butter.

Up until about 5 yes of age I usually use the packet mixes (Peppa Pig a favourite even with the boys) They haven't got the patience to go through the long process of creaming fat and sugar etc they want instant results to keep their attention. Today we did cake in a mug for the first time, cake overflowed the cup! so the extra was eaten for lunch and he has gone home clutching the mug with rest of cake in for tea. I keep home made pastry in freezer to make jam tarts and also biscuit dough.☺

I have, before now, mixed all the dry ingredients in a freezer bag or plastic container in advance so you just add 'wet' ingredients to the mix. It does save having impatient children! I used to do 2 or 3 lots at a time when nieces visiting, and it'll keep safely for some time so really just as easy as packet mixes (also used!)

I would certainly use a packet mix, as my three year old granddaughter is likely to mess it up anyway!