Spiced Christmas Tree Muffins #christmas #food

The embellished brownie bushes will hold for two-three days in an hermetic box. The undecorated brownie cake also  can be frozen. Defrost at room temperature for 4-6 hours, reduce and enhance.

Ingredients

• 150g cook’s Belgian dark chocolate (76% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
• 150g unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest and juice of 1 clementine
• 3 tbsp port
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• a good pinch of ground cloves
• several gratings of nutmeg
• 100g plain flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder

To decorate

• 75g royal icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp gold and silver sprinkles – we used star sprinkles
• 12 x Cadbury chocolate fingers

Manual

1. Preheat the oven to one hundred eighty°C, fan one hundred sixty°C, gasoline 4 and line the base and facets of a spherical 23cm-diameter springform tin.
2. melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn't touch the water, or lightly soften within the microwave (at a low placing); stir till clean. put off from the heat; cool for 20 minutes.
3. In a big bowl the use of a wood spoon, beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract. Then beat inside the clementine zest and juice, port and spices until simply combined. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs and blend till mixed and clean, then fold inside the flour mix till just mixed and there's no flour seen.
4. Tip in case you don't have port, you may replacement mulled wine or red wine.
5. Pour the mixture into the coated tin. transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until set on pinnacle however nevertheless a bit gooey inner. depart to chill completely within the tin before unmoulding.
6. reduce the cooled brownie cake into 12 triangular tree-shaped wedges – you could slice off the rounded bottoms to provide a immediately side, if you want.
7. mix the icing sugar with 2 teaspoons of water, adding a drop or two extra if had to make a thick but runny icing. Drizzle or pipe over the brownie triangles in a zigzag sample. Scatter with the megastar sprinkles and insert a chocolate finger to create a tree trunk. depart the icing to set for at least 2 hours before serving.