THIS time, after last week’s delve into the undergrowth to meet the edible snail, I’m returning to a spot of baking, which may come as somewhat of a relief.

I’ve picked one of perhaps the most contentious items on the shelf, the brownie.

Apart, perhaps, from meringues, nothing seems to cause more argument and opinion than the simple chocolate brownie. Should they be rich and crumbly? Should they be dense and stodgy? Is there room for nuts or fruit? And do we use dark or milk chocolate? It’s a patissier’s minefield in there.

Like grandma’s Yorkshire puddings, everyone has the BEST recipe, and no other comes close. Unusually for such a dish, where one would imagine the true origin would be lost in time, the birth of the brownie can be pinpointed exactly.

Back in the very early 1900s, the owner of Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel, one Bertha Palmer, requested of the kitchen’s pastry chef that he produce a new cake that should be smaller than the traditional wedges served for tea, something with a little more delicateness and panache. A dense chocolate tray-bake was produced, studded with walnuts and glazed with apricot jam, and the original brownie was born.

Instantly they were a hit, and variations began to appear and spread across the country, giving us the myriad interpretations we have today.

The very basic brownie, made with simple chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour, has now become a staple, not only in the US, but all across the world. No coffee shop is without its own version, and they are very popular with the home cook, being easy to make, and also very easy to cook and serve.

When it comes to the actual preparation of one’s recipe, whichever you use, there’s a definite art to a good finished brownie – mainly it’s to watch them like a hawk. A hawk that is watching the very last episode of its favourite TV show. A few minutes over the ideal cooking time and they’re pretty much ruined, the requisite moisture gone in a flash, leaving a tray of dry, unappealing chocolate bricks.

What we’re after is for a thin crust to form over the surface and beneath the egg mixture should be just set, yet with a definite wobble. When they cool, the mixture will settle to form that familiar cracked crust, beneath which lies a rich, stodgy, chewy filling. Perfection.

Once you have your basic recipe, and it’s perfectly fine to leave it at that, you can start adding your incidentals. Chunky walnuts or hazelnuts are always popular, and many people like to add chips of contrasting chocolate or even some dried fruit like cherries. All are good, but one addition, which I came upon recently, makes the brownie leap to the next level; peanut butter. The sweet, salty gooiness combines with the chocolate to make the most wonderful rich slab, reminiscent of a warm Topic bar, if you get the drift.

Chocolate and peanuts go very well together, and the salty taste and unique creamy texture, when swirled into the basic batter, provide an intense, deeply satisfying flavour sensation.

I served mine with a little extra peanut butter, loosened with a little full-cream milk, a but like a spoonful of custard or cream with a wedge of pie, though the brownies are fine just as they are. So let’s have a crack at these wonderfully rich and decadent cakes, shall we? Aprons on!

For the brownies:

400g dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa solids)

325g unsalted butter

6 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

300g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

80g plain flour

Maldon salt

6 tbsps crunchy peanut butter

For the sauce:

2 tbsps crunchy peanut butter

2-3 tbsps full-cream milk

Extras:

20cm-square baking tin

Greaseproof paper or baking parchment

Method:

Heat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4. Grease and line the baking tin.

Slowly melt the dark chocolate and unsalted butter together in a bowl over gently simmering water, and allow to cool a little.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar until very pale and fluffy.

Fold the cool melted chocolate mix into the eggs quickly and carefully.

Sieve the cocoa powder and the plain flour together into a large wide bowl, add a pinch of Maldon salt, and then fold in the chocolate mixture until the mixture is completely homogenous.

Gently warm the six tablespoons of peanut butter in a pan or the microwave, to loosen it a little, then stir into the chocolate mixture quickly, leaving a streaky ripple effect. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes until slightly risen at the edges. Allow the brownie to cool completely in the tin before cutting.

To serve, loosen the peanut butter with milk to a thick sauce consistency, and add a dollop to each brownie.

If you’re that way inclined, why not go the whole hog and add a scoop of good vanilla ice-cream?