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Dark Chocolate Brownies

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Chocolate Brownies are an American dessert that is half cookie and half sheet cake. Often, brownies will be covered with a layer of chocolate fudge, but these brownies are so chocolaty that they hold their own without any special toppings.

For these brownies, I used John's Favorite Brownies recipe from the Scharffen Berger website. This recipe yields brownies that are moist and chewy when you first bit into them, but also feel like they melt in your mouth due to the high chocolate content.

Start by assembling 6 ounces (170 g) 70% cacao content chocolate (could be marked "dark" or "bittersweet"), 6 ounces (170 g) butter, 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 cup (300 g) granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.


Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter a 9x13-inch pan. The pan can either be left as is, or dusted with flour or cocoa powder to help the brownies release after baking.

Break the chocolate into chunks. Cut the butter up and place both the chocolate and the butter into a double boiler or a metal bowl set on top of a pot with simmering water. Chocolate melts fairly easily, but can seize and burn when heated too high. Melting it over steam is an easy way to keep the temperature at a moderate level. Be careful not to introduce steam into the chocolate because too much water can also cause the melted chocolate to seize.


Stir gently while the chocolate and the butter melt to help even melting. When all the chocolate and butter have melted, turn off the heat but keep the bowl over the hot water to keep the mixture warm and easy to work with. Stir to completely mix the butter and chocolate together.


Add the sugar to the chocolate and stir in.


Lightly beat the eggs and the vanilla extract together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture and stir and fold until the eggs are blended into the chocolate. This step takes a little longer than the others because the egg will seem to try its best to stay separate from the chocolate. Using fast strokes to mix in the egg in the center of the bowl followed by a folding action to bring more egg into the center of the bowl works best for me. You also don't have to worry about the eggs curdling because the melted chocolate isn't that hot. Usually, when you introduce eggs to a hot liquid, you want to temper the eggs first (adding a little of the hot liquid to the eggs to help gradually bring the temperature of the eggs up) to prevent getting bits of scrambled eggs in your mix. With melted chocolate, this isn't a problem because the chocolate usually doesn't get hot enough.


Add the flour to the batter and stir until all the flour is integrated. If desired, up to one cup of chopped nuts can be stirred in with the flour.


Pour the batter into the buttered (and floured) baking pan. Using a smaller pan (such as an 8-inch square) will produce thicker and chewier brownies. The baking time may need to be adjusted to achieve the desired texture.


The batter will be fairly thick, so you may need to help spread it with a spatula. Place the baking pan on a rack in the center position of the oven and bake for 35 minutes.


To check if the brownie is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownie. It should come with with brownie crumbs on it and no batter. (If your toothpick comes up clean, then you might have over baked it. Remove, cool, cut, and call them Chocolate Brownie Cakes.) Let the brownies cool in the pan before cutting them into 2-inch (5 cm) squares. Because these brownies have a tendency to stick to your knife as you cut, use a little bit of (melted) butter on the blade to keep the brownie from sticking. If any chocolate does start to stick, wash the knife and reapply butter. If you don't, then more and more chocolate will stick to the knife and you'll end up tearing whole chunks of brownie up as you slice.



Dark Chocolate Brownies (makes 24 squares)
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) and butter a 9x13-in. baking pan
6 oz. (170 g) 70% cacao chocolatemelt in double boilerstir instir instir inbake 325°F (160°C) for 35 min.
6 oz. (170 g) butter
1-1/2 cup (300 g) granulated sugar
3 large eggslightly beat
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour

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Written by Michael Chu
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63 comments on Dark Chocolate Brownies:(Post a comment)

On January 31, 2006 at 08:32 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Fudge Brownies Supreme
Have you ever tried Fudge Brownies Supreme from Nancy Baggett's book "The All-American Cookie Book"?


On January 31, 2006 at 09:27 AM, Aaron McFarlane (guest) said...
Love the site. Definitely one of my favs on my RSS reader.

I'm a music student on a budget (gadzooks!) and have been searching for some time for a brownie recipe that substitutes cocoa for (often expensive) chocolate. Has anyone found a recipe that's satisfactory? Obviously the same taste cannot be had, but surely someone must have figured out some decent ratios...

Cheers. Eat well.


On January 31, 2006 at 09:43 AM, Amir (guest) said...
Subject: dark chochlate brownies
very scrumpious, everyone there must give it a try. B)


On January 31, 2006 at 01:15 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Aaron, try Alton Brown's Cocoa brownies. They are my favorite. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17907,00.html


On January 31, 2006 at 01:35 PM, CompactFish (guest) said...
Subject: Party Idea
A great idea for a dinner party / party is to make brownie pops with a chocolate fondue.

Overcook the brownies just slightly so that they're firmer. Then use a cookie cutter to create small 1 to 1.5-inch round brownie bites, place them on long candy sticks, and serve them with a chocolate fondue (melt 12oz chocolate with 1/2cup heavy cream).


On January 31, 2006 at 07:46 PM, bestvnteas (guest) said...
Subject: Brownies with Cocoa Powder
Aaron,

You could substitute cocoa powder for the chocolate required in your brownie recipes using this formula that I found at http://www.cookies-in-motion.com

For every ounce of unsweetened chocolate, use 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 tablespoon of either vegetable shortening or butter.

I tried it and could not detect any difference in quality.

The reason being that chocolate is basically cocoa powder and cocoa butter which is a fat. So if you replace it with its separate components, there shouldn't be any significant difference in taste and flavor, hopefully.

Happy Baking,
http://www.cookies-in-motion.com


On February 01, 2006 at 12:27 AM, A Food Year said...
Subject: Cayenne or Chipotle
There appears to be this huge debate over whether brownies with cayenne/chipotle/other spicy ingredient improves a brownie recipe. I've yet to try it; any suggestions?


On February 01, 2006 at 08:28 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Cayenne and other chiles have been added to chocolate for a very long time (think back to at least the previous inhabitants of the western world).
Some cayenne powder works great, as does many other chile varieties. Try what you're willing to go for.


On February 01, 2006 at 03:09 PM, CompactFish (guest) said...
Subject: Instant coffee granules
I haven't tried a spicy ingredient, but I find a tablespoon of instant coffee granues intensifies the chocolate flavour in various recipes, without giving the product an actual coffee/mocha flavour. Just mix the granules into your liquid ingredients to dissolve.


On February 01, 2006 at 03:30 PM, A Food Year said...
Subject: Coffee and Chocolate
I've tried the instant coffee (espresso) in brownies before and I agree, it really brings out the chocolatey flavor without really giving it a coffee flavor. All depends on how much you put in, I suppose.


On February 01, 2006 at 04:53 PM, Frank (guest) said...
Subject: Brownies
The trugh of the matter is that I have never met a brownie that I didn't like. Some are better than others, but let's face it: Someone gives you a brownie and you're going to eat it!


On February 03, 2006 at 08:38 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Cutting with buttered knife
I heard somewhere and can attest that using a pizza cutter works very well when cutting moist, sticky, brownies.


On February 03, 2006 at 08:45 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Cutting with buttered knife
Anonymous wrote:
I heard somewhere and can attest that using a pizza cutter works very well when cutting moist, sticky, brownies.

Yes, that's a great tip. To make this even easier, you can line baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper that is long enough to overhang the sides. After baking and cooling, pull up on the ends and lift the brownie out and onto a cutting board. Use a pizza cutter and section away!


On February 04, 2006 at 04:48 PM, FranksPlace2 said...
Subject: My Version
I bought Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate squares. It didn't say 70% but there was no sugar. There were 8 blocks in the box. I don't like stuff left over so I was going to use all eight but I only used seven.

I am pre-diabetic on a hypoglycemic diet so I substituted Splenda for sugar and used whole wheat flour 50% and regular flour 50%. I added 1 1/2 cups pecans and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper.

My mixture looked dryer than yours, more like cookie dough. I used a spoon to flatten it.

They turned out a little dry and crumbly but good. I thought the raw mixture tasted more chocolatley than the cooked brownies. Next time I'll use 8 squares.


On February 05, 2006 at 12:13 AM, bkny (guest) said...
Subject: katherine hepburn's brownies
shortly after hepburn's death, a letter to the nyt recounted this recipe given by hepburn to the writer's father:

Melt 1 stick unsalted butter,
add 1/2 cup cocoa and stir until smooth.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Add 2 eggs, one at a time.
Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and pinch of salt.
Add 1 cup nuts of choice.

Pour into into greased 8x8 pan and bake 40 min at 325 degrees.
Do not overbake.


On February 06, 2006 at 01:30 AM, kayenne (guest) said...
i tried the original brownies recipe and it's good, however, a bit too soft and cakey for my taste(but my aunts loved it!). i prefer brownies a bit fudgy and dense. i'm planning to try it again with 2 eggs instead of 3. and maybe another batch made with 3/4 cup flour instead of 1. let's see which one turns out better.

-kayenne


On February 07, 2006 at 08:58 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Adding Nutella
Try using 3/4 of the chocolate called for, and then stirring in a fourth of a jar of Nutella. Results in a very rich brownie with a fudge-like centre. Yum.


On February 08, 2006 at 01:14 AM, paintchicksrock (guest) said...
Subject: Cutting brownies
To cut brownies in the pan, a plastic knife works well. To get them out of the pan whole to cut on a board with a real knife, line the pan with parchment or foil. Let the ends extend a few inches beyond the outside edge of the pan, creating a sling for lifting once the brownies are cool. (Cook's Illustrated does a double sling-2 pieces of foil crossed over so there are "handles" on all 4 sides...seems like a waste of resources.) Be sure to prep the liner with butter as you would an un-lined pan.


On February 09, 2006 at 07:49 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Excellent recipe
This is an excellent recipe.... Made it 4 times in 2 days :)


On March 13, 2006 at 03:14 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Made a "healthier" version of this brownie
I just finished baking a non dairy version of this recipe. I used Spectrum Organic all vegetable shortening (non-hydrogenated) in place of the butter. I used Sucanat evaporated cane sugar in place of white sugar, and whole wheat pastry flour in place of white.

They came out pretty well. They needed less baking time. I baked 32 min at it was about 4 minutes too long.

I think using 2 eggs will result in a more chewy texture that I prefer (as someone already mentioned)

Over all I appreciate finding this recipe! Thanks Very much :)

Tracy


On April 29, 2006 at 03:38 PM, Astrid (guest) said...
Subject: Just made these, they were delicious
Hello,

Thank you for posting this recipe. It's not easy to make American brownie recipes when you live in Europe, where there's no unsweetened chocolate. But we do have lots of high cocoa-content semisweet chocolate, so this recipe is perfect for us.

They came out very well. I only baked them 25 min., but that seemed enough. Also after melting the chocolate and butter, I mixed in the rest of the ingredients without keeping the bowl over hot water (I was being helped by 3-year old girls, so I didn't want to take any risks!).

Since the said 3-year olds and I had a difference of opinions regarding the desirability of adding nuts, I made half with nuts, half without: I spread a thin layer of the batter all over the pan, then sprinkled chopped pecans on half of it, and covered the whole surface with the rest of the batter, being careful not to mix nuts into the children's section. This worked well.

They came out fudgy and a bit chewy yet crunchy near the edges. I was wondering why the sugar isn't beaten with the eggs: wouldn't that make for a shinier crust? Also the interesting thing is the brownies weren't too sweet the day I made them, but by the second day they tasted really quite sweet. But still delicious, the best I've made so far, thank you! (The three-year olds agree).

Astrid
www.lacerise.blogspot.com


On August 06, 2006 at 10:55 PM, grace (guest) said...
Subject: Brownies cracked on top
Thank you very much. I'm new to the world of baking but I made the Dark Choc Brownies according to the instructions over the weekend. It taste great !

However, I noticed that half-way during the baking, the top surface of the brownies started to crack. I was using dark colored baking tray and lined it with aluminium foil. Is this normal ? What setting should I adjust to prevent the surface from cracking ?


On August 24, 2006 at 04:53 AM, flange (guest) said...
Subject: Dark Choc Brownies
Yummy brownies. I cooked them according to recipe which used 1.5 bars of chocolate. Next time I will use 2 bars though because it was a tad on the sweet side for me and I'd prefer a darker bitter choc taste.


On September 12, 2006 at 06:54 AM, Mei (guest) said...
Subject: Cups to Grams
This is in relation to the referral website (www.foodnetwork.com) above

1 cup is 250ml but....
How much is one cup of onions? potatoes? broccoli?
Not 250grams of it right?

How do I know how much of every one cup measurement do I put into my cooking?

Btw, AWESOME site! I've experimented with a few dishes that turn out BEAUTIFULLY. Keep up the fantastic work!


On September 12, 2006 at 12:36 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Cups to Grams
Mei wrote:
1 cup is 250ml but....
How much is one cup of onions? potatoes? broccoli?
Not 250grams of it right?

How do I know how much of every one cup measurement do I put into my cooking?

In the U.S., most recipes are written with only volumetric quantities for ingredients. This is probably because most families in the U.S. don't have scales in their kitchen. It is also a real pain for someone running a website like Cooking For Engineers where volumetric measurements are pretty much useless for over half my readership. To handle volume to mass conversion, I find myself utilizing two tools: my digital scales and the USDA Nutrient Standards.

Some coversions I use so often that I have memorized: 1 cup sugar = 200 g, 1 cup packed brown sugar = 220g, 1 cup sifted flour = 125 g (unsifted can weigh up to 160 g and who knows what some recipe books assume you use - Cooking For Engineers always presents recipes with sifted flour measurements).


On October 19, 2006 at 12:05 PM, abo gato (guest) said...
Subject: Dark chocolate brownies
I made these the other night....they were some of the best brownies we have ever had....and I have got some fine brownie recipes. I would caution everyone to not bake these too much. Michael says 35 minutes....I baked mine for maybe 26 minutes. You never want to overbake brownies....the reason they are so good is that they are slightly underdone. The edges had a nice crispy crunch and the inner pieces were gooey and very nicely chocolatey. I am going to elevate this recipe to the top of the brownie list, it was that good.

One proviso, I always use Mexican vanilla....if you have access to this, please try it too....the difference it makes in any baked good is amazing.

Abo Gato


On October 27, 2006 at 02:11 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I am an English Control and Instrument Engineer! and the brownies are very very good, the best i have tried! You dont get good brownies in Britain! Very very Tasty!


On December 09, 2006 at 02:14 PM, Guest (guest) said...
Subject: Cuting Brownies
I've used a pizza cutter to cut brownies and have found it to be less than satisfactory. THE thing to use is a plastic knife. You know, the things that people sometimes use at picnics. The plastic knife cuts through brownies and bar cookies like nobody's business!! Try it, you'll be glad you did.


On December 14, 2006 at 12:58 AM, Elizabeth (guest) said...
Subject: Best Chewy Brownies
For those who like chewy brownies, I have found no better recipe than the "Deluxe Brownies" from the original Betty Crocker Cookbook. Trust me since, even though I am a chocolate lover, I would pass up a cake-like brownie. The same recipe appears in other Betty Crocker baking cookbooks. I would reproduce it here if it weren't for copyright laws. FYI, it includes three eggs (for an 8" square pan), but that does not negatively impact the chewiness.


On February 08, 2007 at 06:18 AM, Run (guest) said...
Try this: crumble up 10 Rich Tea digestive biscuits and put into the batter after adding everything else, and mix thoroughly before pouring into the pan.

Deeeelicious.


On February 17, 2007 at 09:34 AM, divya98 said...
Subject: THANKS FOR UR MIND BLOWING DARK CHOCOLATE RECIPE..
:) I DONT HAVE WORDS 2 THANK U N DIS AMAZIN WEBSITE DAT I FOUND THROUGH GOOGLE..IT WAS A NITE B4 VALENTINE & I HAD 2 MAKE SUMTHIN SPECIAL & WAS HESITANT IN TRYING DIS RECIPE AS HAV HAD EXPERIENCD BLUNDER IN PAST..BUT ALL THANKS 2 DIS PERFECT RECIPE IT WAS A LIFE SAVER..IT TURND OUT SO TASTY..EVERY 1 WHO TASTED DA BROWNIE JUST LOVED IT & WAS ALL PRAISES FOR ME.
-JUST 1 THING DAT I ADDED EXTRA COZ I NEVER WANTD 2 CHANCES WAS A PINCH OF COOKING SODA, & THE BAKING TIME EXCEEDED TO 60MINS (AS AFTR 30 MIN IT WAS ALL LIQUID SO I WENT ON INCREASIN TIME BY 10 MINS EACH N FINALLY AFTER 60 MIN IT WAS SET) @ 160' C..
THANK YOU AGAIN..
TAKE CARE
GOD BLESS


On February 23, 2007 at 01:59 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Thanks
Thank you very much for the recipe.

Every time I have a dinner with other people in which each one has to bring something, I cook the brownie and I always get the best appraisals.


On March 19, 2007 at 04:08 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Double boiler?
This recipe is quite close to the brownie recipe I use, but instead of using the double boiler I just stick the butter and chocolate in the microwave. It's a lot easier that way, just takes a minute or two to have the chocolate and butter mixture ready.

All of the ingredients can be tweaked by 25% or so in either direction to get the particular sort of brownies you like.


On April 02, 2007 at 12:10 AM, Johnc (guest) said...
Subject: Quite possibly the only brownie recipe
I've ever seen that contains no leavener whatsoever.
I think I'll err on the side of caution and throw in a half teaspoon of baking powder to be on the safe side


On April 02, 2007 at 12:18 AM, Johnc (guest) said...
Subject: leavener
Ok, I take that back, now that I look there are many recipes for brownies without any leavener, I'll try it as it is.

Note that a double boiler is very 20th century :) A microwave is the far superior modern way to prepare melted chocolate for this kind of thing.

I've made many chocolate creme brulee's that way, it's a snap.
Just toss the butter and chocolate broken up into a container, hit it with 10 second increments of hi power in the microwave repeatedly until it starts to look like a gooey mess but not so far as to melt it completely, then stir it to complete the melting.


On May 28, 2007 at 06:44 AM, robinmessage said...
Subject: It can take more chocolate
I've been experimenting with brownie recipes and I think this could take at least 50g more chocolate - I love chocolate!

I also experimented with chocolate and lime flavoured brownies. The lime flavour is quite interesting in a brownie, but on reflection I think brownies should be chocolate through and through.

Thanks for the gorgeously illustrated recipe Michael, you've made me want to go make more brownies :)


On September 11, 2007 at 03:17 PM, sheila said...
Subject: Just what I've been looking for
I've been wanting a recipe like this for a long, long time. It's been close to 30 years since I've had brownies like this.

These are alot like the brownies I made as a kid, but I no longer have that recipe. I love melting the chocolate, and adding the flour, plus LICKING THE SPOON!

Thanks again for your wonderful recipes!


On October 11, 2007 at 10:16 AM, brandlyyours (guest) said...
Subject: tested this recipe
My friends did not believe that I was able to bake that good

This is an easy to do, delicious desert. Thank you! :)


On October 15, 2007 at 02:13 AM, natatlie (guest) said...
Subject: yummy! =D
these brownies were really goood!! =D =D i'm a novice at baking.. but the receipe was really easy and simple to follow! =D although my housemates and i felt that it was a little too sweet.. would probably reduce the amount of sugar in the future.. =D thanks michaelchu! =D


On November 26, 2007 at 03:59 AM, Savani said...
Subject: Awesum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a novice in cooking.Also i'm nt very fond of cooking.
Add 2 tht i'm an engineer nd due 2 my studies nevr gt d time 2 entr d Kitchen.
Bt my kid sis happens 2 b my opposite. She tym nd again prods me 2 cook with and for her.

So here i was all set 2 make anothr often repeated disaster of my life -- Brownie... until i happen to come across this site.

This recipe is excellent and it does turn out to be a success.I have made it 3 times in the past 3 weeks.

Also i loved the easy 2 understand format of this site. A must-see site for all the analytical minds!;)


On January 11, 2008 at 07:50 AM, Lisa (guest) said...
Subject: best brownies
I have been using this recipe for years (from a Domino sugar box!) and it is excellent. However, I have improved it by using 3 oz. chocolate and 3 oz. cocoa, and adding 2 tablespoons of chocolate liquer. THE BEST!


On April 11, 2008 at 06:49 AM, Geldar in Germany (guest) said...
Subject: Dark Chocolate Brownies
These brownies were good and easy to make, but I felt that they were lacking a bit in depth - maybe my dark chocolate wasn't a high enough cocoa percentage. Next time I make them I'll add about 1/3 tsp. salt and I think that should do it. I don't think I've ever seen a brownie recipe without salt, but I liked that these didn't have brown sugar in them, as that ingredient is hard to find outside the US. They were better the next day after they settled, and of course we ate them all, so I guess I can't really complain :)


On May 25, 2008 at 09:40 PM, kittynoosa (guest) said...
Subject: How to Cut Chocolate Brownies
The best way I have found to avoid the Brownie from sticking to the knife is to heat the knife in hot water. Whether you just run it under a tap or fill a tall container with enough water to cover the blade. Dry the knife before slicing and return to the water after each cut. This also works well for Tarts and other sticky desserts.
Happy Cooking Folks
Kit :)


On June 28, 2008 at 11:48 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Fantastic recipe
I lost my recipe :( for American Brownies and was desperate to get a good one. Never expected this website to come up in the google search. I had to make them last night for my mother-in-law who was flying back home and was afraid of experimenting. Despite apprehensions, the brownies turned out to be fantastic :) . Much better than the recipe I had.

Just a question, how do we ensure that the bottom does not get stuck. I did butter the pan and floured it but was unable to overturn the pan and get the brownie complete into another plate.


On June 29, 2008 at 01:03 AM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Fantastic recipe
Anonymous wrote:
Just a question, how do we ensure that the bottom does not get stuck. I did butter the pan and floured it but was unable to overturn the pan and get the brownie complete into another plate.

If using more butter with a light coating of flour doesn't solve the problem, your only recourse (without trying a different pan) is to have a sacrificial piece that you scoop out first and then you should be able to perfectly lift all the other pieces out of the pan.


On September 16, 2008 at 11:26 AM, manda (guest) said...
Hi guys,
My brownies just finished baking a minute ago. But the top of the brownies cracked like a chocolate cake would. Anybody knows why? i followed the recipe I got from www.community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake-few ppl tried it and their brownies looked so awesome, and baked at 180degreeC Ive no idea why my brownies always crack :( Its happened a few times alrd, Ill try to tuen the temp down when it cracks bt im afraid low temp would not produce a moist brownie, bt a dry one


On September 16, 2008 at 11:29 AM, sherri (guest) said...
Subject: Re: Fantastic recipe
Michael Chu wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Just a question, how do we ensure that the bottom does not get stuck. I did butter the pan and floured it but was unable to overturn the pan and get the brownie complete into another plate.

If using more butter with a light coating of flour doesn't solve the problem, your only recourse (without trying a different pan) is to have a sacrificial piece that you scoop out first and then you should be able to perfectly lift all the other pieces out of the pan.



Or i suggest buttering the pan then layering a layer of baking paper. It always works for me.


On January 25, 2009 at 08:06 PM, justinpaluch (guest) said...
manda wrote:
Hi guys,
My brownies just finished baking a minute ago. But the top of the brownies cracked like a chocolate cake would. Anybody knows why?


Months late on a reply, but I just read a different recipe that said this happened when they used a mixer. Mixing by hand yielded the normal brownie tops. Hope that helps.


On February 10, 2009 at 04:00 PM, jada (guest) said...
Subject: thank you
thanks so much for sharing your recipe with everybody!!

mine are currently in the oven and smell great. I live in the UK and used green and blacks cocoa 75% dark chocolate. ( I noticed that one of the posters mentioned it was hard to get the right chocolate here) Its also fair trade which is obviously a bonus.

Does the 160°C stated apply to fan assisted ovens too? or is that for normal ovens?? If the later , this may explain why some people needed to cook for less time and why others experienced the crack....

thanks again xx


On February 10, 2009 at 05:31 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: thank you
jada wrote:
Does the 160°C stated apply to fan assisted ovens too? or is that for normal ovens?? If the later , this may explain why some people needed to cook for less time and why others experienced the crack...

All temperatures are for ovens without fans.


On April 10, 2009 at 10:16 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Just discovered this web site, by accident really, and it is fantastic, what a brilliant way to set out recipes! Brownies are in the oven and this is the first stress free cooking I have done in ages!
Thank you!
:)


On June 03, 2009 at 07:05 AM, Jozi Cook (guest) said...
Subject: Brownies
These were great brownies! I had to bake them a little extra but they were gobbled down by a troop of hungry boys!

I added the coffee to one of two batches and could taste the difference. It really does intensify the chocolate flavour.

Thanks a stack!
:)


On December 23, 2009 at 05:24 PM, irtx said...
Subject: dark chocolate brownies
The recipe makes a good brownie but I think is improved by the use of UNSWEETENED chocolate VS. semi-sweet (AKA "bittersweet"). Just a little bit more of on the chocolate side of the balance versus the sugar side.
Right on on the website. I love the fact that it assumes that the practitioner is starting from "scratch" ...that is we menfolk frequently do not have the basics folded in to our cosmology at our parent's knees.


On February 24, 2010 at 10:05 PM, cmg54 (guest) said...
Subject: Dark Chocolate Brownies
And the result was ... excellent. I made these for my son's birthday. I only substituted dark-brown sugar and only added 1 cup of it, instead of the 1.5. They were a hit with my sons, their friends and my husband. I am not a big fan of chocolate in general and brownies in particular, but even I thought they were pretty smooth and tasty.

Thanks for the presentation of your recipes. Very analytical indeed.


On August 07, 2010 at 09:50 PM, pulseft (guest) said...
Subject: Cracked Tops
About the cracked tops of brownies, I just had this happen to me and was wondering why it did. Perhaps it has to do with the oven air being dry and drying out the brownies top, combined with perhaps allowing the mixture to sit a little bit after adding flour, which may give time to rise? I know that in baking breads in the oven, after preheating and right after the dough is in the oven, you toss in about 1/2 cup of water and it prevents the surface from hardening/cracking too soon. I will try this technique next time I cook brownies.


On August 21, 2010 at 09:08 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I have had this recipe in my collection for awhile and haven't had a chance to try it until recently. All I can say is that is is the absolute best brownie recipe I have ever had. I have never commented on a recipe before but I knew I had to when I tasted these. They were so moist and chewy and they were even simple. My girlfriend and her whole family loved them so much we made another batch the next day. There is a special place in my heart for these brownies.


On September 08, 2010 at 09:15 PM, katoodles (guest) said...
Subject: Awesome
Before I discovered I have a sensitivity to gluten I made these brownies and they were the best brownies I'd ever had! When I found out I needed to cut out all purpose flour I was unable to say good bye to these brownies. I have replaced the flour with 100% almond flour and I have to say they are now EVEN BETTER!!

Thank you!

-K


On December 22, 2010 at 01:23 PM, Anonymous1 (guest) said...
Subject: Two cents
Just to add two cents to the discussion. In American brownies, those that choose to put nuts in the recipe, the traditional nut to use is walnuts, not pecans. Although I love pecans and have lived in the southern US for decades, walnuts are the better choice for brownies. Secondly, cinnamon & chile added to chocolate is a Mexican recipe (originally Mayan). Some people like it others don't. It's done in chocolate, truffles, and hot chocolate, but not usually in brownies (as brownies aren't part of the Mexican repertoire). Nonetheless, try it if you feel adventurous. Just remember, the chocolate isn't intended to be overly spicy, it just brings out different flavors.


On January 12, 2011 at 10:48 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Bain marie, and additions
As the recipe contains water in some form or another, the internal temperature of the brownie is limited to the boiling point of water. Of course, the skin dries out, and can see excursions higher than the boiling point. If one cooks the brownie in a bain marie, will the lower temperature, better heat transfer and higher humidity reduce this hard skin effect?

Someone mentioned chipotle in a brownie, which is of course a smoked jalapeno. Beyond nuts or chilis, another thing which goes well into chocolate is bacon. I'm unsure about black pepper in chocolate, but a nice smoked bacon would work. So would a number of the sausages (probably avoiding the ones with black pepper). Citrus zest will go into chocolate nicely. It would be interesting to try a chiffinade (sp?) of peppermint or spearmint leaves. Especially if the bain marie idea works.

But, a nice website. Thanks for sharing.


On July 27, 2011 at 09:10 PM, FL cook (guest) said...
Subject: cocoa brownie recipe
Alton Brown has a recipe for brownies made with cocoa. Go to the foodtv website and search there for the recipe.


On October 16, 2011 at 09:55 AM, oh suzanna (guest) said...
Subject: Spicy Bacon Brownies
I made this recipe about a year ago but added some cinnamon, cayenne and bacon for spicy bacon brownies that were such a hit I could not say "cooking for engineers" fast enough for all the people who wanted my recipe.

I am trying to remember exactly what I did so I can make them again to pay back a friend who is doing me a favor. I think I doubled the recipe then added about a tablespoon of each spice, cooked up maybe six pieces of bacon very crispy and crumbled it in and substituted about a third of the butter with bacon grease.

(For those of you who wanted some idea of how to proportion the spicy and bacony ingredients.) I'll check back after I make the new batch and let you know what I end up doing this time and how they turn out.


On September 14, 2012 at 08:11 AM, Tasha (guest) said...
Subject: Greasing the pan
Forget lining the pan with parchment paper.... The easiest way to get your batch of brownies to pop out of the pan whole is to grease the pan with shortening... Seriously! It hasn't failed yet! And try inverting the entire batch of brownies on a cutting board and cut it with a pizza cutter while its upside down. Much less messy than cutting it in the pan. And it doesn't ruin your pan either! :D


On September 04, 2018 at 07:11 AM, coso (guest) said...
Subject: Best recipe ever
I'm always coming back to this recipe. If this website goes offline I'll be lost.

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