i nicknamed these my love brownies because i learned to make them about four years ago, just before i started dating my bf, and was going through a stage of making them a. lot. too much. i would whip up batch after batch, and the vast majority ended up in the new man’s hands. people at his office called me ‘the brownie girl’. he says these brownies are what made him fall for me. not my winning personality – no, it was my ability to make these brownies. ah honesty.

i have long since cut back on the brownie consumption – these aren’t, ahem, the most healthy of desserts – it is a nigella recipe after all, so what else did you expect? – but when the bf has been particularly lovely, or if i’m simply feeling romantic, i make them for him. of all the desserts i make (and he has his favourites) this recipe is the most loved, and the most special in our household. ahh. sure, i’ll have some wine with all that cheese!

so now to the ingredients. yes, there is a lot of sugar. and butter. and eggs. and chocolate. i know. but they taste incredible. and the yield makes enough to happily feed a birthday party, so make them for an occasion and spread the love amongst your friends.

you will need:

• 375g unsalted butter
• 375 good quality dark chocolate
• 250g white chocolate chips, or chunks
• 350g caster sugar
• 225g plain flour
• 6 eggs
• 1tbsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp salt
• icing sugar, for dusting

to make the brownies, pre-heat your oven to 180c and line a 23cm baking tin. in a bowl over a pan with simmering water, melt the butter and dark chocolate until smooth and glossy. set aside to cool a little.

in a freestanding mixer, beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract together and then add the cooled chocolate. turn the mixer down to the lowest setting and slowly mix in the flour and salt. mix until just combined. scrape down the sides and fold in the white chocolate.

pour the brownie batter into the tin and bake for 25 mins. the top of the brownies will be paler in colour and probably cracked, but the inside should be dense and fudgey. make sure you don’t overcook them – there is nothing worse than a dry, cake-textured brownies. these are gooey and heavy. utterly decadent.

allow to cool in the tin a little, then cut the brownies into squares (smaller bite-sizes if you’re serving at a party), and dust with icing sugar. i pile them up on a cake stand and dot with sugar flowers. these are perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.

a lot of people tend to claim they have ‘the best’ brownie recipe. i’ve made a bunch of others. none come close to this (though, who could forget slutty brownies?) this recipe has been requested at many a party, dinner and girls’ night in. there surely are healthier options out there, but to be frank, if i’m in the mood for brownies, i’m not interested in those alternative substitutions. i want the real stuff. i challenge any man (or woman) not to fall for you after baking these.

do you have a special recipe you make for the ones you love? – tweet us at @peanut_buttered or @andreamagrath or you can follow us on facebook here