Ingredients

• 300g/10½oz unsalted butter
• plus knob for greasing
• 300g/10½oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 450g/1lb caster sugar
• 5 large free-range eggs
• 200g/7oz plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 x 225g/8oz jar maraschino cocktail cherries
• drained
• chopped
• 150g/5½oz blanched hazelnuts
• roughly chopped
• 200g/7oz white chocolate
• chopped into rough chunks
• 15 fresh cherries
• icing sugar
• for dusting

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line the bottom and sides of a 30x23cm/12x9in baking tin with butter.
• Put the dark chocolate and butter in a small saucepan and heat until just melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
• In a large mixing bowl
• beat the sugar and eggs together until light and frothy.
• In a separate bowl
• combine the flour with the salt.
• Once the chocolate has cooled slightly
• add it to the sugar and egg mixture and mix until combined. Gradually add the flour and salt mixture
• mixing well between each addition.
• Stir in the cocktail cherries
• hazelnuts and 150g/5½oz of the white chocolate. Mix until evenly distributed then pour into the greased and lined tin and smooth the mixture into the corners.
• Melt the remaining 50g/1¾oz white chocolate and place evenly distributed blobs of chocolate on top of the brownie mixture. Use a cocktail stick to swirl the blobs of chocolate into the mixture. Place a fresh cherry at the base of each swirl.
• Place on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes
• or until just set. Be careful not to overbake the brownies.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes
• then remove carefully and place on the wire rack to cool. When cooled cut into 12-16 pieces and arrange in a mound of fudgy goodness on a pretty plate liberally dusted with icing sugar.