Chocolate brownies with dried cranberries

I have been making brownies quite frequently lately - they are easy and quick to put together, delicious, everyone loves them, and I don't need to wait for the butter to soften to prepare a batch, which makes them perfect for immediate baking urges. I'd had an eye on Paul Hollywood's brownies for a while, but I was out of dried cranberries and kept thinking that they would be the first thing I would bake when I finally bought the cranberries. Well, they were actually the second thing, but turned out really tasty - not that I had any doubts they would: I would never doubt the man responsible for the best brioche I have ever tasted. :)

Chocolate brownies with dried cranberries
slightly adapted from the stunning and foolproof How to Bake (I bought mine here)

100g unsalted butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
4 eggs*
¾ cup (250g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (110g) dried cranberries, dusted with 1 teaspoon all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line a 20cm (8in) square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang in two opposite sides. Butter the foil.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir, then leave to cool slightly. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale and thick enough to hold a trail when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the vanilla. Carefully fold the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder together over the mixture and gently fold these in too. Finally, fold in the dried cranberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until nicely crusted but still soft in the middle. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Cut into squares.

* the recipe called for medium eggs – I only buy large eggs, so I chose the smallest ones in the carton

Makes 16