Brownies recipe from The Blue Ducks

Chocolate and beetroot brownie

These brownies are rich, dark and extra chocolatey – make sure to have a glass of cold milk ready for when they come out of the oven. This makes a big batch, but you could halve it if you wanted to.

10 eggs

330g sugar

1.5 kg dark chocolate, 60 per cent

Cacao, broken into pieces

500g butter, chopped

365g plain flour, sifted

200g beetroot, diced

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 150C. Line a 40cm x 30cm baking pan or brownie tray with baking paper.

Put the eggs and 250 g sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy.

Pour boiling water into a medium-sized saucepan and place a large heatproof bowl on top (to make a double boiler). Place the pan over medium heat, add the chocolate and butter to the bowl and stir occasionally until it melts and becomes a smooth consistency. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Place a large frying pan over medium heat, add the oil and beetroot and cook for 5–10 minutes, until the beetroot starts to soften. Add the remaining sugar and toss until a dark caramel forms.

Fold the beetroot into the melted chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs and mix well.

Add the flour gradually, stirring after each addition. The batter should be thick and chocolatey.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, leaving 3–4 cm at the top and bake for approximately 1 hour. After 45 minutes, insert a small knife in the centre of the brownie – if the knife comes out clean, the brownie is ready.

Makes 20 large winter-sized pieces of brownies

Correction: The original version of this recipe listed the chocolate quantity as 150g. The correct amount is 1.5 kg and has been updated in the text.