I am just not a "box mix" person. I am a princess who likes to wondrously bake things from scratch, even though that usually gets me into a chaotic and stressful mess. Too often I forget to check if I have all the ingredients, get half-way into the recipe, then realize we're out of flour. Then I cry a little, and resolve to using the boxed version.
The most normal looking recipe on my Pinterest board claimed to be one of the best brownies in America. It is the "baked" brownie from BakedNYC. Apparently, it has been named one of Oprah's Favorite Things.
I tweaked the recipe so that it might be one of Tommy's Favorite Things, by substituting milk chocolate for dark chocolate and nixing the espresso powder. My brother is surprisingly picky, but he is turning 29. So, what brother wants brother gets.
My poor Kitchen-Aid did not get any use for these brownies. I could almost hear it from behind the cupboard, "What about me?" Nope, this was all stove work.
Stove work to me means there will be a mess, scary noises, maybe even a small fire. The possible tragedies are endless.
I am proud to say I only encountered two of these tragedies while completing this task. Which two, I will not say.
I baked these for 33 minutes, forgetting to turn them half-way through. What should have been a nice flat sheet of brownies was lop-sided, (some day I'll learn). The toothpick came out clean, but after having cooled, it seemed like they probably could have been cooked longer. They were pretty squishy when I cut them. A squishy brownie is still a yummy brownie. Most of the time.
I am proud to say I only encountered two of these tragedies while completing this task. Which two, I will not say.
I baked these for 33 minutes, forgetting to turn them half-way through. What should have been a nice flat sheet of brownies was lop-sided, (some day I'll learn). The toothpick came out clean, but after having cooled, it seemed like they probably could have been cooked longer. They were pretty squishy when I cut them. A squishy brownie is still a yummy brownie. Most of the time.
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| You can't just leave that half that got ruined! |
Those baking pans that come with a lid are really handy for brownies. Brownies tend to get ruined when slicing and transporting. (Transporting: using a spatula to move your brownie from the pan to a container, a difficult task.) My pan does have a lid, but I transported them anyways so I could catch the leftover crumbs of each brownie. Don't act like you don't do that, too.
Those baking pans that come with a lid are really handy for brownies. Brownies tend to get ruined when slicing and transporting. (Transporting: using a spatula to move your brownie from the pan to a container, a difficult task.) My pan does have a lid, but I transported them anyways so I could catch the leftover crumbs of each brownie. Don't act like you don't do that, too.
I put some in a box for my brother, and noticed that almost half of them were gone by morning. I also hid a small box in my room.
Taste Test
My take: I'm intrigued to see what the original recipe with dark chocolate and espresso powder tastes like. However, this version was very fudgy and gooey, which is nothing to complain about. It was hard to stop after eating just one. I used leftover frosting from the Brownie Batter cupcakes, which made them even more irresistable. The stove work was scary and a pain, but the end result was worth it.
My personal victory is that I didn't have to resolve to using the boxed version.Brother's take: I am pretty sure he thought they were out of a box, but the frosting didn't fool him. This is the best chocolate frosting I have ever come across. Tommy liked the brownie, but not the frosting. How we share the same blood, I have no idea. He is a chocoholic though, and I know his brownies will be gone in a day. I don't think he tastes his food most of the time anyway.
And he still had a Dairy Queen cake to eat.
The Baked Brownie
Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
6. 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 lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.
7. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
6. 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 lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.
7. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
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