Chocolate brownie pie

This recipe, by MasterChef finalist Hannah Miles, was published in the Times in 2015. Rich and moreish, it has a crust made from crushed Oreos and the filling gets a more ‘grown-up’ flavour from the shot of espresso coffee. Quite simply delicious – and perfect for Easter.

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the pie crust
250g Oreos
100g butter, melted

For the brownie filling
200g dark chocolate
125g butter
2 large eggs
100g caster sugar
100g muscovado sugar
1 small shot of espresso coffee
100g plain flour
1tsp vanilla extract
100g white chocolate buttons
1 tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting

23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, greased

Method

For the piecrust, break the Oreos up and then blitz them to fine crumbs in a food processor, or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Add the melted butter and mix well so that all the crumbs are coated in butter. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the prepared tin so that the sides have a thick layer of crumbs to hold the filling and the base is completely covered. Put the tin on a tray to catch any butter released during baking.

Preheat the oven to 170 (fan).

For the brownie filling, place the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until both have melted, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool.

Whisk together the eggs, caster and muscovado sugars until thick and creamy and pale yellow in colour. Pour in the chocolate mixture and espresso and whisk in. Add the flour and vanilla and fold in gently using a spatula or a large metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Bake for 25 minustes, until a crust has formed on top of the brownie but it still feels soft underneath. 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, cover the top with the white chocolate buttons, which will melt during the final cooking. Allow to cool and set before serving dusted with cocoa powder.