Monday, June 6, 2011

Baking with Dorie: Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

One of the reasons behind me purchasing Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours, is the endless recipes containing chocolate! Yes! You guessed it! We're chocolate freaks!


When I came across this recipe, I literally swooned! Four types of chocolate are used, three types in the batter and one used in the glazed topping. The first time I made these we could not wait for the glaze to set, and hence dug into a slightly warm brownie. :D Suffice to say that that is the reason why it's my choice for BWD this week. 


This was the result of my first attempt 




There's no need for a hand mixer as everything gets done with a whisk or spatula. AND only two bowls are used, so the cleaning up afterward is minimal! The recipe follows below, so go ahead, make these NOW!


I can't wait to see what the others in the BWD group thought of this recipe! Check out their results here.










Quintuple Chocolate Brownies from Baking from my home to yours
Page 99


For the brownies:


1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons strong coffee
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces premium-quality milk chocolate, chopped into chips,
or 1 cup store-bought milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, I used macadamia




For the glaze:


Imagine using three types of chocolate in the batter!!
6 ounces premium-quality white chocolate, finely chopped,
or 1 cup store-bought white chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream


Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.


Sift together the flour, cocoa and salt.




To make the brownies: Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add, in the following order, the butter, the two chocolates and the coffee. Keeping the pan over low heat, warm just until the butter and chocolates are melted-you don't want the ingredients to get so hot they separate, so keep an eye on the bowl.






Stir gently, and when the mixture is smooth, set it aside for 5 minutes. Using a whisk or rubber spatula, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Don't beat too vigorously-you don't want to add air to the batter-and don't be concerned about any graininess. Next stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. You should have a smooth glossy batter. 








If you're not already using a rubber spatula, switch to one now and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Finally stir in the milk chocolate chips and the nuts. Scrape the batter into the pan.


Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out streaked but not thickly coated. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the brownies rest undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. (You can wait longer, if you'd like.)




Brownies just out of the oven!


Turn the brownies onto a rack, peel away the foil and place it under another rack-it will be the drip catcher for the glaze. Invert the brownies onto the rack and let cool completely.




To make the glaze: Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds, then, using a rubber spatula, gently stir until chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Hold a long metal icing spatula in one hand and the bowl of glaze in the other. 










Pour the glaze into the center of the brownies and use the spatula to nudge it evenly over the surface. Don't worry if it dribbles over the edges, you can trim the sides later (or not). Refrigerate the brownies for about 20 minutes to dry the glaze. Cut into 16 squares, each roughly 21/4 inches on a side.












Scrumptious!!