CANNY COOK: Nutty chocolate brownies for 62p a piece
My boyfriend's mother recently admitted that while he was growing up she would refill boxes of Kellogg's cornflakes and bottles of Heinz tomato ketchup with supermarket own-brand versions.
Oh how I simultaneously chuckled at his surprise and praised her rather canny tactics. She no doubt saved a fair bit of money doing this and, of course, he and his siblings were none the wiser.
We are all guilty of being wedded to certain brands.
I wouldn't even contemplate trying an alternative to my beloved Marmite, but I have attempted to be a bit more open-minded in the past couple
of years because own-label is definitely cheaper. It has taken
a bit of trial and error, but I have certainly been converted on some things (Asda Extra Special dark chocolate is superb, and I like Waitrose Essential tonic water).
I should flag that I don't solely focus on price, though. I'll always also do a quick scan of the ingredients as budget alternatives can sometimes contain more sugar, salt or additives, which cancels out any saving for me.
This week's recipe is for fantastically simple brownies. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix together and 20 minutes in the oven.
I've made it with a couple of different supermarket chocolate hazelnut spreads, as well as with gold standard Nutella. I'm not sure I would be able to tell the difference in a line-up!
NUTTY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
A brilliantly easy bake, ideal if you have last-minute guests for tea
MAKES 9
62p* PER BROWNIE
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4; line a small square baking tin (18cm) with baking parchment.
Using a hand whisk, lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the chocolate hazelnut spread, then the flour. Stir in the pecans and a pinch of salt.
Tip the mixture into the lined baking tin, smooth the top and bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven until shiny on top.
Cool the brownies in the tin, before cutting into nine slices to serve.
Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email editor@you.co.uk. If we print it here, we’ll send you a bottle of champagne
*THIS COST ASSUMES YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME BASIC STORE-CUPBOARD INGREDIENTS. PRICES TAKEN FROM ALDI AND CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS.
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