Saturday, March 12, 2011

Fudgy Brownies

These brownies are a bit mroe grown up tasting.  A little more dark chocolate and a little less sugar.  They are rich, fudgey and delicious.  If you are counting calories you can have a 1 inch by 1 inch piece.  It will probably set you back about 100 calories.  If you are not counting calories, oh my, eat a couple, sooo good.

Fine Cooking has a great article on Brownie baking and how to achieve the texture you like.  Within the article are dozens of sample recipes.  This is one of those recipes.  The article also has a link to a "Build Your Own Brownie" interactive recipe builder.

Ultimate Fudgy Brownies
This recipe was found at Fine Cooking, 105, pp. 31;  May 6, 2010

12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into 9 pieces; more softened for the pan
3-3/4 oz. (1-1/4 cups) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
2-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
5 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
7-1/2 oz. (1-2/3 cups) all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. of a 9x13-inch straight-sided metal baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on the short sides. Lightly butter the foil.

Put the butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until melted, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth, 1 minute. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk until well blended. Use your fingertip to check the temperature of the batter—it should be warm, not hot. If it’s hot, set the pan aside for a minute or two before continuing.

Whisk in the eggs, two and then three at a time, until just blended. Whisk in the vanilla until the batter is well blended. Sprinkle the flour over the batter and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small bits of brownie sticking to it, 35 to 45 minutes. For fudgy brownies, do not overbake. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack, about 3 hours.

When the brownies are cool, use the foil overhang to lift them from the pan. Invert onto a cutting board and carefully peel away the foil. Flip again and cut into 24 squares. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.

6 comments:

chow and chatter said...

love your part about counting calories all about balance and brownies fit into a healthy diet :-) thanks for your kind comment means alot to me

Rebecca

cocoa and coconut said...

I'm surprised they are only around 100 calories a piece! That's good. I like the sound of a more adult brownie :)

Lori said...

Les...- That would be a 1 inch by 1 inch piece. I kinda was kidding- it may be even more.

grace said...

build your own brownie? yes please! i'll take mine as fudgy as possible. and if you expect me to stop at one 1x1-inch piece, forget it. :)

Sheila said...

I recently stumbled upon that site and their interactive brownie maker; what a neat tool.

I have learned much about brownie baking lately and these sound great!

kat said...

Fudgy? Dark chocolate? Bring them on!