Use a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar to grind whole star anise into a fine
powder. Makes 12.
120g unsalted butter, cut into chunks
120g dark chocolate, about 70%, broken into pieces
120g caster sugar
100g light muscovado sugar
tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
130g plain flour
tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp ground star anise
Good pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Butter a 20cm square brownie tin and
line the bottom and two sides with a strip of baking parchment that's long
enough to hang over the sides (to make it easier to lift the brownie out of the
tin).
In a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the butter and
chocolate, and stir until smooth. Add the sugars, leave for a couple of
minutes, then add the vanilla and beat well. Add the eggs one by one, beating
well after each addition. Stir in the flour, orange zest, star anise and salt.
Pour the mix into the tin, smooth and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is
crackled and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist
crumbs clinging to it. Plunge the base of the tin into a bowl of iced water to
stop it cooking, then leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, lift out and
finish cooling on a rack.