Chocolate brownies
Brownies can be made with cocoa powder, semi sweet chocolate, or unsweetened chocolate. Each will make a brownie with its own unique flavor and texture. These Chocolate Brownies use unsweetened chocolate which gives them an strong chocolate flavor as unsweetened chocolate is chocolate in its youngest form and is just ground cocoa nibs that have been refined and contain between 50-55% cocoa butter (cocao fat). They are very similar to the Katherine Hepburn Brownies only they contain more flour and double the amount of unsweetened chocolate which gives them a more fudge-like texture and an even stronger chocolate flavor. Again, as with most brownies, they are plainly made using one bowl and are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with has just a few moist crumbs. Once the brownies have totally chilled, they are frosted with a Ganache frosting. Ganache is a mixture of cream, butter, and semi sweet chocolate and is wonderfully smooth and creamy with a glossy texture. I like to store these brownies in the refrigerator which makes them all the more fudgy. Serve them cold or at room temperature.
Chocolate Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick veggie spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour and salt.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk or spoon until smooth. Let cool to room temperature and then spread the ganache over the brownies. I like to store these brownies in the icebox. They can also be frozen.
Makes 16 brownies.
Find more exciting and sweet recipes on our chocolate brownie recipe blog.
Processing your request, Please wait....
