Sunday, September 22, 2013

The Chewy Brownie!


The brownie has been a recipe I've struggled with ever since I started baking.  The previous brownies I've made have always been ok, as it is hard to go wrong with a chocolaty square, but I just never felt they were great (and I always sorta thought a box mix brownie was better).  I spent a few years making everything but brownies, then decided recently that I needed to finally find a decent recipe - it just seemed pathetic that I could make homemade Samoas, but not brownies.


I tried a lot of recipes, each claiming to have the trick to the chewy brownie - things like putting the tray into an ice bath straight out of the oven, adding extra egg yolks, or having the perfect ratio of oil to butter.  In fact it was the first time a cooks illustrated recipe failed me (I felt their chewy brownies were much too cakey).  I finally tried this simple recipe from King Arthur Flour cook book, just because it was different from the others, not expecting much.  I'm happy to report that this recipe is the one I've been looking for.  Not only does it make an amazing chocolaty chewy brownie - but it comes together in one pot, in 10 minutes!

Note: the original recipe actually called for whole wheat flour, but I misread that and used bread flour by mistake.  They came out great, and very (very) chewy.  Since then I have also been making it with regular flour, and they are also delicious - still chewier than cakey, but not quite as hard on your jaw.


The Chewy Brownie
(adapted from King Arthur Flour)

100 grams unsweetened chocolate (or 85% or higher)
113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup strong white flour (UK)/bread flour (US) OR regular all purpose white flour for a slightly less chewy brownie

1. Preheat oven to 176c (350f).  Prepare a 9x9 pan, lining it with a strip of parchment that goes up two of the sides, then lightly grease it.
2. In a pot (2 quart) melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently to blend and avoid burning.
3. Remove pot from the heat and stir in the sugar till it is well blended.  Mix in the eggs, salt and vanilla, followed by the flour.
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes.  If you want brownies on the fudgier side - a toothpick should come out with slightly uncooked crumbs.  If you want on them on the chewier side - a toothpick should come out with just a few moist crumbs.  This is a recipe you want to use a toothpick/fork on, it is hard to judge what is under the beautiful brownie shell.
5. Cool on a wire rack.  Right after taking it out of the oven cut around the edges.  After 10 minutes, lift it out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut into squares.  These brownies get hard to cut when cold!

10 comments:

  1. Yuum chewy brownies are the best! These look so good!

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  2. They look really good
    I once heard of a tip (John Waite) to put a dollop of mayonnaise in brownies.

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    Replies
    1. That sounds interesting, I've never heard that! Have you tried it before, does it make them better?

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  3. Did you try adding a little bit of coffee to it like some recipes call for?

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    1. I didn't have any coffee in the house the last few times I've made it, but coffee/espresso is great at bringing out even more chocolate flavor in baked goods. I'll probably try it next time with 1 tsp of espresso powder. Let me know how it works out if you try it!

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  4. Replies
    1. A cup is an american unit of measurement, however measuring cups are now sold at most big UK grocery stores, here are some at sainsburys: http://bit.ly/1g0toQf . We use them because while they are less accurate, it is definitely easier than weighing each ingredient.

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  5. We made the recipe and it IS really chewy. It turned out perfect.

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  6. Thank you for taking the time to publish this information very useful! clarified butter recipe

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