The Baked Brownie

OK, I have to admit I was kind of skeptical when I kept hearing how great the Baked brownie was. It's not that I've ever eaten a bad brownie, but I just didn't see how this one could live up to the expectations I had. I mean, it's just a brownie, right? WRONG. This brownie basically will render you speechless. It's definitely my favorite brownie, and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Chocolate Brownie is a very close second. I actually used milk chocolate instead of dark because that's all I had, but it still turned out fine. But anyways, I am very glad I tried these and I encourage you to try them, too! Also, you will notice a playlist at the end of the post and I am adding that because I love listening to music while baking or cooking and I thought I'd put what I listened to just for fun :)

The Baked Brownie

From Baked: New Frontiers In Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13 Pyrex baking pan
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa
- Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally utnil the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth
- Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. Allow mixture to come to room temperature

- Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined.
- Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or brownies will be cakey.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture and using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
- Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top
- Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares

The Playlist:

1.  Phoenix-1901 (Fortune remix)
2. The Greenhornes-Saying Goodbye
3. The Velvet Underground-Sister Ray
4. Gogol Bordello-Super Taranta
5. The Black Keys-No Trust

The Velvet Underground song is 17 minutes long, so that was what I was listening to for at least half the time I was baking. What music do you listen to while in the kitchen?

 

Chocolate Cookies With White Chocolate Chunks

I understand that the name of this recipe is none too original, but I hardly think it will matter to you when you have a delicious, dense chocolate cookie in your mouth. These cookies have a texture that is almost like a brownie, but they are still pretty light, and all the chocolate in them is balanced by the bits of white chocolate throughout the cookie.

You can make these using any combination of extras; dried cherries, nuts, and bits of candy (like M&Ms) are all good additions.

Chocolate Cookies With White Chocolate Chunks

3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder (regular is fine, too, but this is the kind that I used)

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 large bar of baker's white chocolate, cut into small chunks

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Scoop spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheet, and make sure there is an inch or two of space in between them. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until firm on the bottom but softer on the top, 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies may look like they are not done baking, but as they cool they will become firmer. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 5 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.