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When I was 14-years-old, I gave a boy I (sort of) liked a pack of Cadbury Creme Eggs one Easter while living in Maine.
Then, Cadbury Creme Eggs were about 33-cents each (about the price of a stamp), and you could get 3 for $1.
Boy, have times changed.
When my old college roommate, Christina Janke (of the Intro to Geek Blog and Shauncastic! podcast), came to visit last week (seen here), we discovered the UK-based chocolates now go for $1 each at CVS, but decided to push forward with our purchase regardless of the steep price.
I’m happy to declare Clearly Delicious to be a (primarily) healthy, happy place filled with salads, seasonal produce, and lots of good-for-you-foods. But when Christina shared this link on my Facebook wall, I knew I was in trouble—
Brownies studded with halved, caramelized Cadbury Creme Eggs.
But, there was one big problem.
The recipe was in the metric system (not American units) since it came from the Cadbury UK Facebook page.
Oh, and the heart-stopping results were pretty high in fat, calories, and straight-up decadence (apply to my thighs now).
So, really, there were two problems.
Pictured: freshly-baked Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies with halved eggs glistening in beds of dark chocolate batter. One of the most decadent desserts I have *ever* made.
And with last week’s book tour around south Louisiana, I had forgotten Easter’s quick approach (even though I was happily ushering in the first days of spring). I hadn’t given any thought to pastel-colored treats or egg-inspired recipes. In fact, I was just happy to get through March in one piece.
But Cadbury Eggs (before Easter or not) make for one of the most innovative and interesting desserts I’ve made to date. I think we all have a memory or two featuring this confection, but the idea that the egg has a greater destiny—halved and pressed into dark chocolate brownie batter ready to melt as the cake puffs and sets—is something I couldn’t pass up.
Even if I could only eat half of a piece.*
[*Note: this recipe is incredibly sweet, especially when it comes out of the oven. Christina and I discovered that if you wait for the brownie to cool overnight, it becomes much easier to consume the day after and far less sweet.]
Below, I’ve converted the metric recipe you find online into American units, using cups and tablespoons for my Pinterest-friendly readers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t convert this dish into a low-calorie, low-carb, flour-less version of a classic brownie that still made use of Cadbury Creme Eggs, but I’m not terribly worried about solving this problem . . . not immediately, anyway.
Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies
Yield: 12 servings (1/2 Cadbury egg in each serving)
Calories: 448.2 calories (full nutritional info here)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes (see chef’s note at bottom on ranging cook times)
This recipe is adapted from the Cadbury UK Facebook page (here). I’ve converted the ingredients list from metric (grams) to American (cups) and upped the quantities to standardize these measurements for U.S. cooks and readers. Put simply, no one wants to measure out “.80 cups of butter” or “.17 cups cocoa powder,” so I’ve opted for “1 cup of butter” and “1/4 cup cocoa powder,” so on and so forth. The results are similar to the original and easier for me—and, hopefully, you—to follow.
Ingredients:
* 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 cup dark chocolate pieces, roughly chopped (I used the Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bars); easy substitute: 2 (4.5-ounce) Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bars
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/4 cup cocoa powder
* 6 Cadbury Creme Eggs, halved
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
*1 heat-proof metal bowl (such as this stainless steal 1.5 quart version)
*brownie pan (I used a 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 pan, but the one suggested by Cadbury UK looks like this)
*hand-held sifter for dry ingredients
1.) Preheat oven to 350F and line baking pan with parchment paper. Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil (filled about half way). When boiling, place heat-safe stainless steal bowl over water, resting bowl within the pot.* Add butter and chocolate pieces, slowly whisking together as they melt from exposure to the heat. When fully melted (and incorporated), remove chocolate from heat and bring to room temperature.
*Note: there should be a gap between the water and the bowl so you’re making use of the “steam.” I don’t like for the hot boiling water to touch the bowl (but this is personal preference, and I know some chefs who would say it doesn’t entirely matter, although Alton Brown and science-minded types can easily argue that direct heat contact always matters).
2.) In a standing mixer (or, using a hand-held beater), combine eggs with sugar and beat until pale yellow and doubled in size (about five to eight minutes, depending on speed; I used low-medium speed for my KitchenAid, “Cinnamon”).
3.) Add cooled chocolate to eggs/sugar and mix until just combined. Add flour and cocoa powder to a hand-held sifter and sift dry ingredients into the chocolate batter. Turn on mixer and combine batter until dark brown (about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Stop, scrape down sides of bowl, and mix one last time until fully incorporated (about 15 to 20 seconds).
4.) Pour batter into parchment-lined baking pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until mixture is beginning to set, but still jiggles when you shake the pan. Meanwhile, halve 6 Cadbury Creme Eggs and reserve for brownies.
5.) When brownies have begun to set, remove from oven and gently press halved eggs (creme-side up) evenly across the pan. Return to oven and bake until a knife comes out clean (about 10 to 20 minutes, as stove times will vary).*
6.) Remove from oven, cool, and serve in 12-egg-sized pieces (if feeling decadent). Servings can easily be halved for lower-calorie pieces.
*Cook’s Note: the Cadbury UK Facebook page recipe says brownies will be done within 5 to 10 minutes of adding the eggs, but when Christina and I pulled them out of the oven, they needed an additional 10, at least. Be sure to check brownies at 10 minutes and go from there (I suggest 5-minutes at a time). Your brownies may be “done” at 10, 15, or 20 minutes after adding the eggs. Again, stove times will vary.
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