Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I made these again for the upteenth time - Fantastic - on the fudgy side with a nice, clean, deep chocolate taste.

THE BAKED BROWNIE

"It is dense, chocolatey, and slightly fudgy...
...Use a high quality chocolate and cocoa powder... whisk the batter gently when the eggs and flour are added (too much whisking creates too much air)....check your brownies often when baking. Once the brownies have been overbaked slightly, they have reached the point of no return.
Use a dark cocoa powder, like Valrhona. A pale, light-colored cocoa does not have enough depth.
Make sure your eggs are room temperature and do not overbeat them into the batter..."

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 tsp)
2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder (I used El Rey)
11 ounces quality dark chocolate (60-72%), chopped coarsely (I used Ghirardelli 60%)
8 ounces butter (2 sticks), cut into 1 inch cubes (I used unsalted)
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (I used medium packed)
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9x13x2 pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.

Configure a large sized double boiler. Place the chocolate, the butter, and the instant espresso powder in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan. Mixture should be room temperature.

Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (DO NOT USE A WHISK) fold the dry into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.

Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes (rotate the pan half-way through baking) and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan. The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.

Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 24 brownies

from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?i ... 1000280791
(Also posted with photos at:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/0 ... d-brownie/

My favorite Brownie out of one of my favorite cookbooks.

I liked this brownie a lot. It reminded me of Nigella Lawson's (domestic goddess cookbook). My go to is still Ina's outrageous brownie, but I think I'll make this one again soon. What's not to love about excellent chocolate brownies? (Hi Meryl!)

As I was reading this recipe, I recognized it immediately - I made it two days ago, or at least a later version of it in their later book Baked Explorations, called Sweet and Salty Brownie. In this recipe a caramel syrup is made, and 3/4c is spread over half of the batter in the pan, then the rest of the batter is spread over this, and after baking, some fleur de sel and turbinado sugar is sprinkled over the top. I made this at my cousin's request, and made a simple dessert with some vanilla bean ice cream on top, and the remaining caramel syrup heated enough to drizzle over the top.

This is why I only make brownies for others - I have absolutely no willpower to resist things like this when I know they are in the next room! I get some this way, but the rest are gone before the night is out.

Gosh, this sounds fantastic. I'll have to make it soon (I already made a charlotte this week--with orange bavarian cream and light whipped ganache--brought it to work so I would only eat one piece).

Dave - just a regular ol' sugar and cream caramel syrup?

ditto and I love the newer version using salty caramel in the center
Ilene

Yum, brownies!

It's pretty much the same, but has a small amount of sour cream added, after the heavy cream is added, and all of the caramel is dissolved. And I think I remember some salt added to the caramel, in addition to the salt added at the end (I'll look and see how much).

I took the remainder of those to work with me, and now I have some people blaming me for breaking their New Year's resolutions. I told them that making things like this is why I don't make resolutions involving food.

yummm!

I have these Brownies on my mind lately. I haven't made them in over a year and I think it's time.