Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Super-Fudgy Brownies

I recently reviewed Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen over on Munching on Books, but I wanted to share a recipe as well.

These brownies were super-fudgy, just like the recipe said. They're rich and dense and soft and chewy and ... well, fudgy.

Make sure you use chocolate and cocoa powder that you like, because the flavor really comes through in the brownies - I mean, there's a lot of chocolate in there.

The original recipe called for cocoa nibs as an option, but I omitted them, even though I happened to have them. Next time, I might add nuts - probably walnuts - since those are one of my favorites in brownies.

These make a reasonable-sized batch - just an 8-inch square pan - but I suggest you cut them into small pieces - 4x4 to yield 16 brownies instead of 3x3 to yield 9 larger brownies.

Give them a try - I think you'll like them!

Super Fudgy Brownies
Adapted from Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen by Dana Cowin

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides - this makes it a LOT easier to remove the baked brownies from the pan.

Sift or whisk the flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a medium bowl.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler, or a bowl set over a simmering pan of water. Stir until they're both melted and combined.

Place the bowl on a towel to catch drips. Whisk in the sugar, then let the mixture cool a bit before adding the eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Fold in the flour mixture. The book suggested optionally adding 1/4 cup cocoa nibs. I'd be more likely to add nuts, but left mine plain.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.

Bake, rotating the pan if needed, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few fudgy crumbs attached - if it comes out completely clean, you've probably overbaked. It should take 40-45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a rack until they're completely cool. Use the parchment ends to remove the brownies from the pan. Cut into squares to serve.
Yum