John Whaite’s pecan & cranberry millionaire brownies

1 Preheat the oven to 180℃, gas mark 4. Line a 20cm-square cake tin with baking parchment, removing any excess to avoid the parchment falling into the brownie mixture.

2 For the brownie batter, set the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally, allowing the chocolate and butter to melt together. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the sugar. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then beat in the eggs. The mixture will go a little grainy and may split when the eggs are first added, but keep beating and it will come together into a smooth and glossy batter. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is matte and cracked around the edges. Allow to cool completely.

3 Once the brownie has cooled, make the caramel. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and set over a low heat until everything melts together and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the mixture to boil. Stir the mixture frequently until it reaches 105C on an instant-read digital thermometer. Pour the cooked caramel over the brownie layer, then refrigerate for a few hours until very firm.

4 Once the caramel has set, put the chocolate and oil into a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Allow the chocolate and oil to melt together, then pour this over the cold caramel layer and quickly top with the chopped pecans and cranberries and a
sprinkling of sea salt. Refrigerate for another hour before cutting into squares.