Sunday, May 14, 2006

Brownies

Muffin Man and I made brownies yesterday. We used Moosewood's recipe and they came out really well...if what you want is very good chocolate cake. Which I love, but it wasn't what I was going for. Cakiness included: consistancy and a matte top crust.

So as soon as my Women and Work final is over, I'm going to try the recipe from Cook's Illustrated several years ago, which goes into great detail about how to avoid cakiness and get that true brownie panache. According to them, the secret is fewer eggs and a mix of semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate with a bit of cocoa powder. Also, more vanilla and less butter. Hmmm. I'm looking forward to trying it.

Still. The Moosewood recipe comes out deeply chocolatey and is really scrumptious with frosting. It just may be the best recipe for chocolate cake I've ever used. The question is, do I go down for one more piece before bed tonight? Or do I have some for breakfast in the morning?

9 comments:

purple_kangaroo said...

That's exactly what I thought . . . that recipe makes a fabulous chocolate cake. Also, I figure that since it has so many eggs in it, it's a fine breakfast/lunch/dinner . . . um, I ate the whole batch almost single-handedly in 2-3 days. Which is why I'm not planning to make the recipe again any time soon, or if I do I'll freeze it in serving-sized portions.

purple_kangaroo said...

Oh, and if you find a good fudgy brownie recipe, please let me know.

Anonymous said...

That Food section article is terrific - ever since I've read it, I've made much better brownies.

Apart from the formulation, what it suggested was (1) refrigerating the measured-out sugar (and keeping the eggs in the fridge until use), so you're adding them both cold, (2) making sure the melted chocolate is realllly hot, and (3) "shocking" the baked brownies by putting the pan right into the fridge (or into a tub of ice water, but I just use the fridge). Gives a glossy crust, a rich texture and a fudginess that's terrific.

ccw said...

Both.

Anonymous said...

What CCW said.

Phantom Scribbler said...

I'm thinking that I have a very uneducated palate when it comes to brownies. Clearly I need some remedial brownie education....

susan said...

Were you guys using the Moosewood fudge brownie recipe you can google? there is another Moosewood recipe that doesn't pop up on google and I think it makes fabulous fudgy brownies. (it doesn't mention anything about bananas in the recipe, if that helps distinguish it. It's in Moosewood Cooks at Home.

susan said...

One more thing: let us know how the Cooks Illustrated Brownies turn out. I've been eyeing that recipe for a bit now. (of course, I could also try it myself!)

moxiemomma said...

okay, i realize i'm a little behind the times here, but try this:

brownies

yield: 16 brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups flour

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter an 9x9 inch baking pan.

2. in a saucepan, over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together. allow to cool slightly.

3. in a medium-sized bowl combine the eggs, vanilla, and sugar and add to the melted chocolate and butter. mix well.

4. add flour mix, then pour into prepared pan. bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (you want these to be a little soft in the middle).

you won't be disappointed....