Lavender Brownie butterfly

These may be the most beautiful brownies I have ever eaten in my life. I think this Lavender Butterfly is so pretty I could have pierced a hole in the top and hung it from a Christmas tree as an edible ornament. Then I could gaze upon it admiringly (and greedily), as it teased me with its chocolaty glitter and flutters of lavender scent.

I could feel the soporific effect of these lavender brownies (or maybe I was just really tired from a hard and grim working week, and Thankful once again for the weekend). These lavender brownies were pretty good. I had one just before my ‘beddy bye bye times’ last night helping me ease into sleepy lala land. It was a nice change from a mug of hot chocolate, or even a glass of red wine.
These fudgy brownies were made from fair trade dark chocolate, homegrown lavender and a little bit of shimmer and glitz in the form of edible glitter. The edible glitter is suitable for vegetarians. I’m not too sure how they last though. I’ve had this since I got married in October 2008. A word of warning, if you have fillings in your teeth they will react a little – a little sensitivity like ice-cream, but I think it’s a small price to pay for a little bit of extravaganza.

This recipe is based on the Orange Brownies. I used ½ teaspoon of lavender for this particular recipe. If you make a different brownie recipe resulting in a larger quantity, then adjust the lavender to 1 teaspoon. I want to forewarn you in advance though, I always do whenever I post a lavender recipes on my blog - Please be careful with the amount of lavender you use: too much and it could taste medicinal or worse, too strong that it will be unpleasant to consume and that will be a great shame.

Lavender Brownies
Makes 1 x 7 inch by 9 inch tin
Ingredients
100g unsalted butter
80g of dark chocolate

20g white chocolate buttons optional (or replace with more dark chocolate)
150g dark muscovado sugar
2 medium eggs.
75g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon lavender
Pinch of salt.
Method
Heat oven to Gas Mark 4.
Melt the chocolate, butter and sugar in a bain marie (or a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water). Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little, then beat in the eggs. Add in the white chocolate buttons if using.
Stir in the flour, lavender and salt. Pour into the tin and bake on middle shelf for 12 minutes. Allow to cool in tin before slicing up and serving.