This foolproof recipe for decadent, delicious chocolate brownies laced with boozy, gin-spiked fresh raspberries and topped with lashings of glossy, chocolate and raspberry sauce, is the ultimate self-indulgent treat! Follow these ten easy steps for a perfect traybake every time.

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Chocolate & Gin-Soaked Raspberry Brownies

150g fresh raspberries
50ml gin
200g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate
250g butter
3 large eggs
400g sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder

For the boozy chocolate raspberry sauce:

230ml cream
3 tbsp raspberry jam
150g dark chocolate
Raspberry gin liqueur (optional)

Method:

Several hours (or the night) before you want to make the brownies, pop the raspberries in a bowl, pour over the gin, cover and leave to macerate.
Place 250g of chocolate and the butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted.
Whisk eggs until frothy, then add sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until thick and foamy. Now whisk in the melted chocolate.
Fold in the flour and baking powder, then add the remaining 50g of chocolate, finely chopped. Now pour the mixture into a greased and lined 20 x 30cm tin.
Remove the raspberries from their liquid (keeping the juice for later) and scatter them over the brownie mixture, pushing them gently into the batter.
Bake at 180C, 160C fan or Gas 4 for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out almost clean. Dust with icing sugar and allow to cool a little in the tin, before removing and cutting into squares.
To make your sauce, gently heat 230ml cream with three large tablespoons of raspberry jam, stirring with a wooden spoon or whisk all the time until the mixture comes to a simmer and the jam has dissolved.
Take off the heat and add 150g dark chocolate, and stir or whisk until the chocolate has melted and you have a thick, glossy sauce.
If you like, add a little teaspoon or two of raspberry gin liqueur for an added boozy kick!
Pour your sauce over your warm brownies and serve with a few fresh raspberries (and ice cream, if you dare).