Chocolatey Strawberry Goodness

It’s been a long month and I’m in need of some chocolatey goodness – and the caffeine and Tryptophan and Phenylethylalanine* to pick me up. So I went searching for some new recipes and found this on Hugs and Cookies XOXO. I’ve adapted it to metric and for Aussie cooking.

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Brownies.

What you need:

1/2 cup margarine (I’m lactose intolerant. You can use butter if you prefer)
225g dark cooking chocolate for brownies.
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs (we used fresh from mum’s chook run)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup self-raising flour
225g strawberries (just under a punnet )
250g of 70% dark chocolate for the topping.

How to make it:

Brownie base:
Melt the cooking chocolate and margarine, until smooth. Stir in the sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and self-raising flour. Pour into pre-greased or non-stick 20 x 20 cm baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes at 175 deg C.
Allow to cool.

Topping:
Slice strawberries and place on top of brown base. Melt dark chocolate and pour over the strawberries. Chill for one hour (minimum) and cut into slices.

Yum!

Changes I made to the original recipe:

Self raising flour has flour+baking powder. In Australia we don’t have salt in our self-raising flour, as they do in the US. I removed the salt in the original recipe to make this healthier. I’m also using 70% dark chocolate which is not as sweet (and less milk – see lactose intolerant comment above). I also increased the amount of chocolate for the topping to ensure the strawberries would be covered.

Changes I’ll make next time:

The extra thickness made it harder to cut and made them very, very rich. Next time I’ll try my 85% dark chocolate to reduce sweetness. I may also decrease the amount of chocolate to 200-225g for the topping so it is not as thick.

Suggestion: The brownies were soft and gooey (which I love). If you prefer your brownies more ‘cake-like’, then you will need to cook the brownie base for longer.

And for those who like video:

Sciencey Stuff:

*Tryptophan: amino acid found in small amounts in chocolate and is used by the brain to make serotonin (neurotransmitter producing feelings of happiness).
Phenylethylalanine: has been found in chocolate. It promotes feelings associated with the initial euphoria of falling in love. It also acts as an anti-depressant, combining with dopamine in the brain.

Bibliography:

A natural compound in red wine and chocolate may halt Alzheimer’s, study finds http://www.sciencealert.com/a-natural-compound-in-red-wine-and-chocolate-may-halt-alzheimer-s-study-finds
Can chocolate give me a happy high? http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/chocolate-high1.htm
Compounds in dark chocolate can make you feel calmer… http://www.sciencealert.com/compounds-in-dark-chocolate-can-make-you-feel-calmer-and-more-content-study-finds
Why does chocolate make us happy: http://www.sciencefocus.com/blog/why-does-chocolate-make-us-happy

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