Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies

Finally, Easter is nearly here and the shops are filling up with all sorts of chocolate goodies. Including chocolate bunnies, Easter chicks and eggs in every size, shape and colour. So, to have some Easter baking fun I added colourful mini eggs in these Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies.

Using Smarties mini eggs with their bright colours means they show up well on top of the chocolate brown, baked brownies. Also, Smarties mini eggs are hidden within each brownie, keeping their shape once baked.

And each of these Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies are deliciously fudgey as you bite into them, with extra crunch and chocolate when you find a hidden egg.

Since our children were little we have made up an Easter egg hunt for them. Sometimes friends and cousins get involved too, now they are a bit older. Yet, what never ceases to amaze me is the sharing that happens after the egg hunt is finished.

As each child and sometimes adults, sit down with their spoils from the hunt and make sure that everyone has the same number of eggs. Because, I can never remember where they were hidden the numbers aren’t always even! So a good tip is to have a few eggs stashed in the cupboard, ready to even out the numbers so it’s fair.

And, if they do manage to find all of the eggs, you’ve got a secret stash of chocolate hidden away.

What Easter Means To Me

While I celebrate Easter for it’s true Christian meaning, see Important Stuff, I’ve never found being a Christian to be boring.

We certainly have lots of fun in our home and making these Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies, really is good fun! And, I had specific instructions from one daughter to make them larger than the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Bites and also to bake them with whole, Smarties mini eggs, hidden inside.

Each Chocolate Mini Egg Brownie is drizzled in white chocolate before topping with more Smarties mini eggs. Easter is most definitely not the time in our house, for chocolate restriction!

In fact I’m not sure there ever is an appropriate time for that, however that’s a whole different conversation!

Recipe: Makes 16 Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies

200g/7oz Plain Chocolate – minimum 70% Cocoa solids

200g/7oz Milk Chocolate – minimum 35% Cocoa solids

4 Large Free Range Eggs

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter

225g/8oz Dark Brown Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

1/4tsp Sea Salt – I use Maldon

4 Packets of Smarties Mini Eggs – 4 X 100g packets

75g/3oz Plain White Flour

1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

100g/4oz White Chocolate – optional

Method: Preheat oven to 170C/150 fan, gas mark 3 1/2, 325F

Making The Brownie Batter

• First of all, line a 22.5cm x 30cm (9″ x 12″) deep baking tin with aluminium foil
• Break up the chocolate (or chop) into individual squares, dice the butter and place both into a heat proof bowl.Place the bowl over a simering pan of water (a double boiler) ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
• Stir continuously until both the chocolate and butter are two thirds melted.
• Carefully remove the bowl from the pan and continue stirring until the contents are completely melted.
• Set the chocolate aside to cool.
• Into a separate bowl add the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract.
• Whisk lightly to combine the ingredients.
• When the chocolate has cooled to just warm pour it into the egg mixture slowly, while gently stirring.
• Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl and add two packets of the Smarties Mini Eggs.
• Using a wooden spoon gently fold all the ingredients together.

• Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin.

• Give the tin a couple of sharp taps against the worktop. This helps bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface.

Baking The Brownies

• Place the tin into the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
• Halfway through the baking time carefully tap the tin against the oven shelf, this helps the brownies stay fudgey and not rise, like a cake.
• The brownies are baked when the outside edge has set and the top has the familiar, sugar cracked look. There should still be a bit of wobble at the centre.
• As soon as they are baked remove the tin from the oven and allow the brownies to cool in the tin.

• Once cooled remove the brownies from the tin and peel away the sides of the foil.

Decorating The Easter Brownies

• First of all break up the white chocolate and place into a heatproof, microwaveable bowl.
• Zap in short 20 second bursts, stirring after each heating period.
• When the chocolate has almost melted, remove and keep stirring until completely melted.
• Using a teaspoon drizzle half of the chocolate over the brownie slab.
• Next add as many Smarties mini eggs as you dare, the melted chocolate will help them stick.
• Now drizzle the other half of the white chocolate over the eggs and brownie.
• Leave to set in a cool place.

• As soon as the chocolate has set cut the large brownie into quarters. Continue, cutting each quarter into quarters and you will have 16 delicious Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies!

• Use a palette knife to remove each fudgey brownie from the foil.
• Store any spare brownies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, however,  there’s no way they’d last that long in our house!

I like to serve these Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies with a few extra eggs, so that everyone can have the same number of eggs on top of their brownie. While watching their surprise when hidden mini eggs within the brownie.

And so, whatever your plans this Easter, I hope that you take a minute to remember the reason it is celebrated?

Jesus gave His life that we may all know Him, true forgiveness, unconditional love and peace. With Him life may not be perfect, but the journey is much easier.

If you’ve enjoyed these Easter Chocolate Mini Egg Brownies then you may like these recipes too:

Golden Egg Chocolate Sponge Cake

Chocolate Mini Egg Sponge Cake

Mini Egg Millionaires Shortbread

Baking for any special occasion always feels like a treat to me. Especially with family wandering in and out of the kitchen, snatching nibbles of this and that. Ultimately, this time of year reminds me of Jesus and the family, his disciples, that He too surrounded Himself with. So important was family to Him that He asked His disciple John to take care of His mother, while hanging on the cross. And if family is important to Him, then it is also important to me.

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens this Easter, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

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Entered for March We Should Cocoa over at Tin and Thyme  and Lancashire Food