Ingredients
- 200 ml Quebec maple syrup (dark, robust)
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 150 g dark chocolate (70 %), chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 90 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 80 g walnuts, roughly chopped
Method
- Preheat oven to 310 °F (155 °C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment.
- Melt butter and chocolate together; cool slightly. Whisk in maple syrup, eggs and vanilla.
- Sift flour, cocoa and salt; fold into chocolate mixture. Stir in walnuts.
- Pour into pan. Bake 28–32 min until set but still fudgy in centre.
- Cool completely in pan, then cut into 16 squares.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 200 g granulated sugar
Conversion used: 200 g sugar → 200 ml dark maple syrup; flour increased by 15 g (from 75 g to 90 g) to absorb extra moisture; oven lowered 15 °F to prevent over-caramelisation of edges.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Dark maple syrup and dark chocolate create a complex bittersweet profile impossible with plain sugar. Walnuts echo Québec's forest-harvest tradition; maple provides manganese and zinc.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →