Spiderweb Brownies

Ingredients

• 170g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
• 115g unsalted butter, cubed
• 200g granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 80g all-purpose flour
• 25g Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 tsp espresso powder
• 100g white chocolate, melted

Steps

1. 1

   1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a 20cm square baking pan with parchment paper. Melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.

2. 2

   2. Whisk the sugar into the melted chocolate mixture until combined, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, until the batter looks glossy and slightly thickened.

3. 3

   3. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder, then fold gently with a spatula until just combined — stop as soon as no dry streaks remain.

4. 4

   4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 22–25 minutes until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted 2cm from the edge comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 9 squares.

5. 5

   5. Transfer the melted white chocolate into a piping bag or a small zip-lock bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Pipe a series of concentric circles over the surface of the brownies, then draw a toothpick outward from the center through the circles at regular intervals to create the spiderweb pattern.

6. 6

   6. Let the white chocolate set at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.