Brownie

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F). Grease a square or rectangular baking tray and keep aside.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water (water bath). Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and sugar. Once the mixture is a bit cool, stir in the vanilla essence and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour, salt, nuts and chocolate chips (if using).
3. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake as we want the brownies to be moist and fudgy in the center.

Ganache

1. Bake your brownie base and cool completely to room temperature. (You do not want to spread the ganache on even a moderately warm cake)
2. Bring the cream to a simmer. Pour it over the broken chocolate pieces and mix. Once the chocolate has melted, add the cognac and whisk till the mixture gets a subtle shine and is smooth. Chill in an ice bath or in the refrigerator to thicken – this will make the ganache achieve a spreadable consistency (approx 15 minutes). When you’re ready to use it, give it a quick little whip again.
3. Spread, sprinkle (if you wish)