Best
decadent brownies ever!
It’s
summertime and now is good weather for enjoying outdoor patio dinners, so I
figured it’s a great time for a blog hop. Even better, a foodie blog hop. ‘Cause
as a foodie author, you know I love to eat! The hop is on now and is called
Summer Chillin’. For more info see below.
In
my book, Sweet Cravings, out now from
Decadent Publishing, the sexy hero is a French-trained pastry chef. Which is a grand
profession IMO and makes him all kinds of yummeh. But, I’m not a pastry chef myself
by any stretch of the imagination. At home I’m more of a vegetarian fresh
foodie. How can I not be? My husband is an avid organic gardener and operates a
Farmers Market stall at the Saturday market. So let’s just say I have plenty of
fresh veg around. Every single day.
Sometimes
though, you gotta have something sweet, and I break down and make brownies. When
in need, these are the exact brownies that I make and man, are they decadent!
This recipe comes from Smitten
Kitchen and I bow down to them in my
mind every time I make them. And yes, they go fast in my house. We can consume
½ the pan in less than fifteen minutes!
Best Cocoa Brownies
Adapted
from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet
Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller
brownies (see the pics on her site)
10 tablespoons (140 grams)
unsalted butter (I actually use 1 1/4 cups of butter)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (65 grams dark or regular)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional – I never have used them)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (65 grams dark or regular)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional – I never have used them)
Position a rack in the lower
third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of
an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang
on two opposite sides. (I use wax paper and spray it with oil or they will
stick).
Combine
the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl
in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the
butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to
remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl
from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
It looks fairly gritty at this point, but
don’t fret — it smoothes out once the eggs and flour are added. (I put the
whole bowl in the microwave to melt and it works great!)
Stir in the vanilla with a
wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.
When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir
until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with
the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly
in the lined pan.
Bake until a toothpick
plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 20 to 25
minutes. (I usually go a little longer if not completely set.) Let cool
completely on a rack.
Lift up the ends of the
parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into
16 or 25 squares.
Bon appétit!
Eva
For more on the Summer
Chillin’ Blog Hop which runs June 22-29, go here for a list of participants:
To advertise the Hop on your blog, get your Summer Chillin'
Blog Hop code here: ow.ly/m59ZV and the Blog Hop
button here: http://writery.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/summer-chillin-blog-hop-is-almost-here/
~ * ~
Bio:
Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of
romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate,
tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit
her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty
thoughts for the sake of future explorers.
Eva Online:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eva_Lefoy
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Lefoy/e/B00CE0EY0G
Thanks for stopping by, Eva. It was a pleasure having you. :-) x
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me here, dear! I love you site.
ReplyDelete