Sunday, February 7, 2010

Double Chocolate Brownies


Double Chocolate Brownies - made Febuary 6, 2010 from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle

Another good, basic, straightforward brownie from The Good Cookie. As you can see, I dressed it up a bit with some Valentine-themed M&Ms. This time I did remember the vanilla extract but left out the 6 ounces of chocolate chunks in the batter in favor of the M&Ms on top. I'd made this recipe a couple of times over the years but kept forgetting to take a picture of it to include with the recipe so I "had" to make it again and capture it for posterity. The recipe says to cut into 16 squares but I find that makes big brownies so I cut them into 24 or 25 squares. Nothing wrong with large pieces but I favor small ones in case I want to try other kinds. If you're keeping track by the dates, I've made 3 batches of brownies in one day - not unusual for me. I did say it had been a tough week, right?

If you want to make this with M&Ms and don't want them to sink to the bottom before baking or during baking, spread the batter in the pan and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. The batter will firm up and you can place the M&Ms with abandon and not worry about them sinking once they're in the oven.

11 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 5 ounces coarsely chopped, 6 ounces cut into ¼” to ½” chunks
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 cup cake flour (not self rising)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches beyond 2 opposites sides of the pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan.
2. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, heat the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler from the bottom and set the chocolate mixture aside to cool.
3. Sift together the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Gently whisk to blend. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract at high speed until very light and thick, about 5 minutes (the mixture should leave a ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted). Switch to the paddle attachment. At low speed, add the chocolate mixture (it’s okay if it’s still warm), mixing until blended. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chunks.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the brownies for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
6. Using the foil as handles, lift the brownies out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares.

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