This week, I have been preparing the menu for some friends who will be coming over for the big game on Sunday. Of course, the food has to be center stage but the desserts and snacks need to be equally delicious. I am planning to make a batch of those delicious union square nuts, sweet and spicy popcorn, assorted sandwiches which we can enjoy throughout the game and these delicious fudgy brownies. I had originally come across this recipe on the blog called Annie’s Eats, and had a chance to try it this week. Apparently, these are a Cook’s Country/Baking Illustrated recipe that she had tried and enjoyed. I thought they were really good, but decided to tweak the recipe and make them just a little bit fudgier. The great thing about these brownies is that the recipe comes together quickly and the final result is not overly sweet. This revamped recipe is an absolute keeper.
Triple Chocolate Brownies (16 pieces)
6 oz semisweet chocolate ( increased from 5 oz)*
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped*
6 oz butter (increased from 4 oz)
3 level tablespoons cocoa powder (1 oz)
3 large eggs (5.5 oz)
1¼ cups sugar (10 oz)
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup all purpose flour*
½ cup cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup mini chocolate chips **scatter on top, optional
½ cup broken walnut or pecan pieces **scatter on top, optional
*NOTE: I have also used 8 oz of a good quality dark chocolate (either Nestle or Guittard) with great success instead of the combination of semisweet & unsweetened chocolate, but use what you have on hand. The original recipe uses 1 cup of all purpose flour, but I found that these are even more tender and fudgy if you use half cake flour and half all purpose flour.
Preheat your oven to 325°F, and prepare one 8” square pan by greasing it and lining it with a piece of parchment paper (or foil), about 16″ by 8″ long. If you are going to use foil, make sure to spray it with your pan release so that the brownies do not stick to it. This may seem a little long, but you are creating a 2” overhang on either side, so that you can use these as handles to lift the baked brownies out of the pan.
To begin, add the butter to a small stock pot and begin melting it. When the butter has melted halfway, add the semisweet and the unsweetened chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon to combine well. In a small bowl, add the eggs, vanilla and sugar and whip until combined. In another bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. Once the butter/chocolate mixture is completely melted, add this to the egg/sugar mix and whip together. Lastly, add the dry ingredients and whisk everything together until the batter is well combined and smooth. Pour this into your prepared pan and if you are going to use the mini chocolate chips and/or nuts, add them on top of the batter before putting the pan in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. The brownies will rise in the center as the batter cooks, and will then settle back down evenly. This is your key to remove them from the oven to prevent them from over cooking. Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate them for at least 1 hour before slicing. Use the parchment to lift the brownies out of the pan, peel away the paper and slice into bite size portions.
Leave a Reply