So last week we got an office call from NPR wanting to use our client, Penny Karas from Hello Cupcake to replicate a 26 page brownie recipe from the Pentagon. The taping and segment was fun (sans me looking slightly busted in the background of the picture) but the brownies were horrible. Made for soldiers and the ability to keep for 3 years, these dry treats were not my go-to dessert. This whole experience got me thinking about life and brownies and what makes each sweet.
1- Ingredients must be real. Seriously, put the shortening (and the lies) away. No need for low-fat. If you are indulgent, be indulgent. If you are ______ just be that. I hate a fake anything. So many people try to be something that you are not. If you are a nutty brownie, be a nutty brownie. Really.
2- Each must have a resting state. Brownies are best pulled out of the oven 5 minutes early and laid to rest on a cooling sheet. Sans the cooling sheet, I think the same applies to people. I got my 5 minutes waterside in RI this weekend.
3- Brownies are best shared with others. In my family food=love. Share your baked goods and your day with others. It is certain to create a sweeter scenario!
To keep with the theme, NY Times published a book review from Kate Moses' "Cakewalk" that explores finding the sweeter things in life. Included was this recipe. The food writer failed because she was impatient. She did not let the brownies rest. Ah, if I was a week earlier publishing my rules on brownies her sweet treats might have been sweeter.
Chewy Fudge Brownies
Time: 1 hour, plus several hours’ resting
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups walnut halves (optional)
9 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour.
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking pan. If using walnuts, spread on a baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and cover pan until chocolate is melted, about 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla just until thick, creamy and beginning to lighten in color.
3. Whisk the butter and chocolate until smooth, then mix into the sugar-egg mixture just until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in the flour, using as few strokes as possible, until it disappears. Fold in the walnuts, if using. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking after 22 minutes to avoid over-baking. When the tip of a knife inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not liquid, remove brownies from the oven. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and leave in the pan for several hours or overnight before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.
1 1/2 cups walnut halves (optional)
9 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and cover pan until chocolate is melted, about 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla just until thick, creamy and beginning to lighten in color.
3. Whisk the butter and chocolate until smooth, then mix into the sugar-egg mixture just until well combined. Using a spatula, fold in the flour, using as few strokes as possible, until it disappears. Fold in the walnuts, if using. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking after 22 minutes to avoid over-baking. When the tip of a knife inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not liquid, remove brownies from the oven. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and leave in the pan for several hours or overnight before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.
1 comment:
I just skimmed through about 5 months of posting, and I now want to go grocery shopping, cook, and eat. I will settle for making pasta salad to be consumed tomorrow, and watching Weeds. But thank you for inspiring me.
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