the baked brownie

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."

Mae West

And so it goes, this is my eleventh brownie recipe here at beurrista. I can't help it. I'm a sucker for new recipes. I love me a good brownie, and I love chocolate.

This one, from Baked, calls for LOTS of chocolate. It is a perfect Use-up-leftover-easter-bunny Recipe. The brownie hits just the right balance of dense, chewy and fudgey. And it's won accolades— featured on the pages of O magazine and awarded best brownie honors by America's Test Kitchen and the Today show. Definitely, this guy's a keeper.

The Baked Brownie
from Baked New Frontiers in Baking, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

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

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

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

This post is linked to the following: show and share, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair,  show me what you got

triple chocolate cream cheese brownie

The whole tray disappeared before I could grab one. That's how good these are. Or maybe, The Piano Students were ravenous and these were the first treats upon entering the reception. Regardless, it's a great brownie, with lethal combination of chopped bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips, topped with a creamy layer of cheesecake.

The hungry hordes and I thank David Lebovitz for this great recipe.

black bottom cream cheese brownies

Sometimes you want a brownie. Sometimes you want it with nuts. Then, there are times when *just* a brownie won't do.

This is one of those times. With handfuls of chocolate chips added for good measure, this cream cheese brownie satisfies the deepest desires of chocolate and creamy decadence.

quintuple chocolate brownies {bwd}

Chocoholics, rejoice! This delectable brownie, chock-full with FIVE chocolates, will surely satiate that mid-afternoon (or for me- early morning) craving for a chocolatey treat.

Did you try guessing the five chocolates going into this recipe?  I'm sure you were right with these answers:

unsweetened cocoa powder

unsweetened chocolate

bittersweet chocolate

milk chocolate chips

white chocolate

brrrrr-ownies {bwd}

"Brrrrr" is something I've been saying all weekend, so this is the perfect recipe for the cold weather that just WON'T GO AWAY.

This week's Baking With Dorie pick calls for some chopped up York Peppermint Patties  {can you hear it? ~ when I bite into a York Peppermint Pattie, brrr, I get the sensation of cold crisp mountain air against my face as I race towards lift-off ~} in a brownie batter. Dorie created them for her son, who, like The Daughter, keeps them in the freezer for that extra cold, minty pick-me-up.

brownie buttons {bwd}

Most people, when served a brownie, probably already have an ideal brownie in their mind. Chewy, fudgey, dense, crisp-edged, thick, rich, or über-chocolatey — the list goes on and on. Texture usually is a defining factor.

These lilliputian bites make a great snack, if you're looking for something cakey. Really, these aren't fudgey, nor are they chewy. These brownie bites are essentially miniature chocolate cakes, which is fine, if you're expecting cake. The Daughter wasn't and was therefore disappointed. ☹ (She likes chewy.)

I, on the other hand, have yet to see something homemade with chocolate and butter that I dislike. I enjoyed eating the snack and couldn't stop at one— I just wouldn't call these brownies.

You can get the recipe here and also see the other Baking with Dorie bakers here.

brownie love

Dearest Brownie,

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My chocolate soul can reach.

I love thee chewy, in all thy toothsome glory.

I love thee fudgy, intense, complex and surprising.

I love thee purely and neatly, as individual bites.

I love thee newly, nuanced with brown butter.

I love thee with the breath,

Smiles and tears of all my dessert life!

While sitting at the dentist's office, I was inspired to riff on Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem. (Yes, the irony of dreaming about sweets while simultaneously fearing the number of cavities in my mouth.) The inspiration? Bon Appetit's cover photo of a gorgeous stack of brownies. Upon reading the recipe, I realized I'd already baked and blogged on a close approximation.  They are Alice Medrich's brownie; this iteration comes with the added step of browning the butter. I couldn't resist and had to bake a pan.

These are wonderfully gooey, chewy, moist, chocolatey... everything one hopes for in a superb brownie.

chewy, fudgy, triple chocolate brownies

Since Chocolate and Valentine's Day go hand in hand, I figured I'd try out a new brownie. Of course, one doesn't need ♡'s day to bake a brownie, but this Cook's Illustrated recipe has been dog-eared for quite awhile...

bouchons

Meaning corks in french, these brownie-cakes are bites from chocolate heaven!

I first had one in 2004 at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, California.

It was love at first bite—deep, intense chocolate flavor, moist interior, slightly soft center, and rich, rich, rich!

blogging withdrawal

After spending a week away from blogging and on vacation in Maryland, I began experiencing the shakes, the jitters, insomnia.  Classic withdrawal symptoms, which I concluded, could only be treated with

brownies.

Not just any brownies mind you, but brownies that give you the "ooh, that's relief" kind of feeling. We're talking Supernatural Brownies, by Nick Malgieri.

Mr. Malgieri used to be Executive Pastry Chef at Windows on the World

and now directs the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan.

The brownies are gooey, fudgey and quite out of this world.  I took my first bite after having eaten an assortment of cookies—macarons, almond horns, flourless chocolate cookies— and was underwhelmed. This morning, though, with no previous sugary sweet eaten, they were divine. (Yes, the brownies were part of my breakfast.)   I might try making them a bit thicker next time- 1½x the recipe, in the same size pan. Then, they'd be thick, gooey, and fudgey.

the missing link- the ultimate chocolate brownie

I spent the better part of last week planning for a baby shower which I co-hosted.  My job was the taking care of the sweet side things.

Carrot Cupcakes ✓

Brown Velvet Cupcakes ✓

Rugelach ✓

Tea Bag Cookies ✓

Tiger Paw Cookies ✓

Diaper Cake ✓

Looking over this lineup, I sensed something missing.  A GAPING hole.

A Hole which only Something Chocolatey could fill.

birthday boy and palm beach brownies

Today is The Son's 9th Birthday.  He is a low-key kind of guy, preferring small gatherings to large, particularly after last year's sleepover with six boys.  Six does not sound like that much, but the crazies managed to make it feel like a good dozen kids in the house.  Never again. This year, we're inviting three.

I wanted to make something for his class at school.  The Son loves Red Velvet Cupcakes, or perhaps I should clarify and say that he loves the cream cheese frosting atop the RVC.  I could make him a tub of frosting to share with twenty spoons, but Frosting Birthday Treat might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Though I love the brownies from Alice Medrich, I've had a hankering for Maida Heatter's Palm Beach Brownies.  I first came across the recipe in Sarah Leah Chase's Nantucket Open-House Cookbook in 1987. (Ms Chase credits Ms. Heatter for the recipe.) The Sister RAVED about these amazing brownies, using espresso powder, and since then, this has been my go-to recipe.

I love how the egg yolks circled around.

These are the biggest, thickest, gooiest, chewiest,

darkest, sweetest, mostest-of-the-most...

with an almost wet middle and a crisp-crunchy top.

-Maida Heatter

Palm Beach Brownies
adapted from Cookies by Maida Heatter and Nantucket Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase


8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons powdered instant espresso
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 ounces walnut halves or large pecans, optional

Preheat convection oven to 350º F.

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil.  Butter the foil.

Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a large double broiler over hot water on moderate heat, or in a medium heavy saucepan over low heat.  Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla and almond extracts, salt, espresso, sugar and flour at high speed for 10 minutes.  On low speed, add the chocolate mixture and beat only until mixed.  Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Stir in the nuts and pour into the prepared pan.  Smooth the top.

Bake for 25 minutes- the brownie will have a thick, crisp crust on top, but if you insert a toothpick into the middle, it will come out wet and covered with chocolate.  Do not overbake.

Remove pan from the oven and let stand until cool.  Refrigerate the brownie for a few hours or overnight, or place it in the freezer for an hour or two.

Cut the brownie using a long, heavy knife with a sharp blade.




P.S.  I'm making the Medrich brownies today and conducting a taste-off.  I'm curious to which one The Kids like better.

best {?} brownies

One of my favorite bloggers, Deb at smitten kitchen, posted Alice Medrich's Brownie recipe. While I love Maida Heatter's Palm Beach Brownies, I'm always on the lookout for a better brownie. This just might be it.

Valrhona Cocoa Powder is a must.

I'm not as discriminating with vanilla extract. Costco's Kirkland brand is just fine.

Yesterday, I learned that a plastic knife cuts brownies perfectly. Why was I not told this thirty years ago?

Scrumpdelicious- the Kids have crowned these brownies their all-time favorite. Tell me if they're yours!

Best {?} Brownies
Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet
Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies (the size you see pictured yielded 25)


Printable Recipe

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces or 141 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 ounces, 280 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 ounces, 82 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (2 3/8 ounces, 66 grams) all-purpose flour


Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Butter the foil.
Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside briefly until the mixture is warm, not hot.
Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time; stir until fully incorporated. Add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes.
Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 25 minutes.
Let cool in pan, then lift up the ends the foil and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.