Marzipan Brownies – aka Sherborne Brownies

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With the classic intense, fudgy, chocolate interior, spiked with a hint of coffee and a touch of salt, these brownies are loaded with chunks of golden, sweet marzipan. An explosion of contrasting textures and flavours, these cakes have the classic crinkly brownie top and an addictive soft and gooey centre. The marzipan becomes a little more chewy as it cooks and is wonderfully balanced by the delicate kick of sea salt flakes. They are delicious served simply with a cup of tea or coffee, and they also make a fabulous dessert, served warm, with some vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

Why are they called Sherborne Brownies?

I made this batch of brownies for my brother’s birthday. He was recently travelling through Sherborne, in Gloucestershire, where I was born and we lived as small children. He stopped at a cafe and bought a coffee and a marzipan brownie. He absolutely loved it and challenged me to create a Daffodil version. Voila! I’m pleased to say that he raved about these and, as a lover of all things marzipan, so did my husband.

Brownies make a fabulous gift.

Brownies are wonderfully easy to transport – there are no sticky frostings, they can be cut into neat squares and wrap up easily. The combination of chocolate and marzipan is a match made in heaven and a classic seasonal combination – if you are looking for a foodie gift this Christmas, look no further!

Make and freeze ahead of time.

Equally, if you want to be the ‘hostess with the mostess’ this Christmas, whip up a batch now and freeze them before you bake them. You can cook them directly from frozen, when required. Simply allow an extra 10 minutes in the oven, and you are good to go. What better than being able to present your guests with freshly baked brownies in less than 35 minutes, with absolutely no faff? For more information on cooking brownies from frozen, please see this post.

How to make Marzipan Brownies – aka Sherborne Brownies

This recipe is adapted from my Daffodil Brownies – Core Recipe. For further brownie ideas and inspiration, see here.

Collect all your ingredients together and line the baking tin:

In order to guarantee soft and fudgy brownies, it is important to use the correct size tin – in this case it is a 20cm/8inch square tin. If your tin is larger, the depth of your cake batter will be less and the cake will cook more quickly. Equally, if the tin is smaller, your cake batter will be deeper and cook more slowly.

1. Sit the tin on greaseproof paper making sure the paper is large enough to line the tin, come up the sides and have a little overhang.
2. Cut out the corners of the paper so it will fit easily into the tin
3. Fold the paper from corner to corner so the size of the centre of the paper matches the base of the tin. Slot inside the tin.

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Ingredients:

• golden marzipan – you can also use the natural, paler coloured marzipan, but I really like the pops of bright yellow colour from the golden marzipan
• unsalted butter, in cubes
• dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
• soft brown sugar
• caster sugar
• eggs
• fine salt
• plain/all-purpose flour, sieved
• unsweetened cocoa, sieved
• instant coffee powder, sieved
• sea salt flakes, optional

Instructions

1. Chop the marzipan into small cubes – I like to make them a mixture of different sizes. Lay some baking parchment onto a flat surface, I use a chopping board, and scatter the marzipan cubes on it, in an even layer. Pop in the freezer to harden. This will help them keep their shape when stirred into the brownie batter.
2. Chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie and mix until smooth. (See Recipe Notes for details.)
3. Meanwhile put the sugars, salt and eggs in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. This will take around 3 – 5 minutes.
4. Pour the chocolate and butter into the eggs and sugar, whilst whisking, until smooth and glossy. Another 3 – 4 minutes.
5. Put a sieve over the bowl and add the flour, cocoa and coffee. Sift directly over the cake batter and fold until nearly mixed in.
6. Add the chopped marzipan from the freezer to the brownie mix and fold in. The freezing cold marzipan may thicken the batter – this is normal, don’t worry!
7. Transfer to your lined baking tin and level the surface, making sure the cake batter goes all the way into the corners and where possible, any cubes of marzipan poking through the surface are covered with the brownie batter.
8. Sprinkle over the sea salt flakes.
9. Bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes, depending on how squidgy you like the centre to be. (I cook mine for 23 minutes.) This gives me a slightly crispy top but a gorgeous gooey centre. The cake will be slightly risen and cracked around the edges (see the pictures below) but the centre will feel quite soft. Remember the cake will continue to cook after you have taken it out of the oven.
10. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 – 30 minutes and then transfer, in the baking parchment, to a cooling rack.
11. When the brownies are cool, cut into 16 squares and serve.

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What is the best way to store brownies?

When you store brownies, it is important to cover them. They keep well for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. However, if you are storing them in the fridge, remember to take them out to warm up to room temperature before you serve them.

What is the best way to warm brownies?

I adore warm brownies for dessert, served with ice cream. If you have made the brownies in advance and want to warm them up, simply zap each brownie in the microwave for 10 – 20 seconds. The time it takes will depend on the temperature of the brownies to start with (ie have they been in the fridge or not?), the power of the microwave and how hot you actually want them. I like mine warm, but not too hot. I recommend heating them in 10 second increments until you are happy with the heat.

If you do not have a microwave, you could warm them in the oven. Cover with foil and place them in an oven preheated to fan oven 150°C/170°C/325°F/Gas 3 for 1 – 3 minutes. (Depending on how many you are heating and how hot you want them.) Check them after 1 minute and be careful not to overheat, as you may over cook them.

Can I freeze these brownies?

Yes you can! These brownies freeze well, covered, for up to 3 months. You can also freeze them prior to cooking and then cook from frozen. For more information, please see this post.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.