Wednesday, February 20

Super-Fudgy Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies

Or, let's just call them "Really Good Brownies." Thought I'd share a recipe. This is a Cook's Illustrated variation on one of their own recipes. I love Cook's Illustrated, but I don't have much access to them, since I don't have a subscription and don't want to pay to access it online. I hate it when they make you do that. Somehow, I got this recipe a few years ago and have been enjoying it since.

5 oz semisweet choc (I sometimes use part dark chocolate)
2 oz unsweetened choc
3 Tbs cocoa powder (again, I experiment with regular, dutch-processed, dark)
1 1/2 Tbs instant espresso or coffee powder
8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c all-purpose flour

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Fold two 12-inch lengths of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa and espresso powder until incorporated. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then stir in flour until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners and level surface with rubber spatula; bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of moise batter clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours (yeah, right!), then remove brownies from pan using foil handles. Cut into 1-inch squares and serve. Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.

Shortcuts (as I've always known brownies to be a spur-of-the-moment dessert and not one that's planned ahead of time):
I didn't read the article that accompanied it (assuming it had one), so I'm just guessing they want you to cool the brownies forever and not cut them all at once to allow the flavors to meld (is it appropriate to say that about brownies or is that just for sauces and stuff?) and because hot brownies don't cut well. I let mine cool a bit, throw a towel over them and finish cooling them in the fridge, then take them out and eat them, cutting them as they're served.
The foil in the pan is nice for quick cleaning when the brownies are gone, but you can also just spray your pan.
And, I usually melt my chocolate and butter in the microwave. Short zaps and stir in between until it's melted.

3 comments:

Grandma G said...

These sound yummy! Thanks for the recipe! I plan to try them SOON!

But... cut into "1-inch" squares??? How many squares make up a serving? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ohmyword! If I decide to start eating desserts again, I want an entire pan of those. Looks like the perfect brownie!

Anonymous said...

YUM! Just YUM!