Prune Chocolate Brownies

• 125g Pitted prunes, and roughly chopped
• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g dark cooking chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp ground star anise
• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp salt

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 20cm-square, deep-sided cake tin.

2 Melt the butter with the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water (alternatively, use short, sharp bursts in a microwave).

3 In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugars and anise together until the mixture is creamy and thick. Mix the melted chocolate and butter into the egg and sugar mixture.

4 Sift the flour and salt into the chocolate mixture. Beat together briefly until smooth. Fold in the prunes.

5 Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes. Be sure to not overcook the brownie. It should be just firm to the touch and still gooey inside.

6 Leave them to cool in the tin before cutting them into squares.