Brownies have so much going for
them; great flavor, easy to make, and so versatile. The simplest brownies are made
with just melted chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour. Delicious,
of course, but you can also take a brownie to the next level by adding a layer
of frosting. And that is what we do with these Chocolate Brownies. We start with
a brownie that has a deep chocolate flavor and a dense fudge-like texture
and top it with a smooth and glossy Ganache frosting. This transforms it
into a dessert so good that I am not sure whether we should call it a square
or a candy.
Brownies can be made with
cocoa powder, semi sweet chocolate, or unsweetened chocolate. Each will
make a brownie with its own unique flavor and texture. These Chocolate
Brownies use unsweetened chocolate which gives them an intense chocolate
flavor as unsweetened chocolate is chocolate in its rawest form and is
just ground cocoa nibs that have been refined and contain between 50-55%
cocoa butter (cocao fat). They are very similar to the Katherine Hepburn
Brownies only they contain more flour and double the amount of unsweetened
chocolate which gives them a more fudge-like texture and an even stronger
chocolate flavor. Again, as with most brownies, they are simply made using
one bowl and are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out
with has just a few moist crumbs. Once the brownies have completely
cooled, they are frosted with a Ganache frosting. Ganache is a mixture of
cream, butter, and semi sweet chocolate and is wonderfully smooth and
creamy with a glossy texture. I like to store these brownies in the
refrigerator which makes them all the more fudgy. Serve them cold
or at room temperature.
Chocolate Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165
degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a non
stick vegetable spray, an 8 inch (20 cm)
square baking pan.
Melt the chocolate and
butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.
Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and
eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour
and salt.
Pour into
the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in
the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool on a
wire rack.
Chocolate
Ganache: Melt the chopped chocolate, cream, and butter in a stainless
steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let
cool to room temperature and then spread the ganache over the
brownies. I like to store these brownies in the refrigerator. They can
also be frozen.
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