Dana's Extreme Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Have you ever fallen in love with something all over again?  Well, I did, and chocolate made it happen! I’m an acute chocolate addict and have used chocolates many many times as an ingredient in baking like when I make brownies.  Brownies?  Hmm when you  hear the word….what comes to your mind? Dense…chewy…fudgy….  Do you like it when it sticks to your teeth and tongue? I do!

I’ve made brownies for years – some good some bad. While the good ones were just that, they were never what I’d call the ooey gooey type of brownie I was constantly in search of the recipe until I found Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies in many of her cookbooks.   I love these rich and chocolaty brownies with dense, fudgy middles and crinkly tops, made from scratch. These are seriously the BEST brownies I’ve ever made! This is perfect for boxed brownie lovers.  The dense, moist, and fudgy texture is not all that different from what you can expect from the boxed missed. 

This recipe makes richer, more flavorful brownies, without any fuss.  They are one-bowl and come together in minutes.  Melting the butter in the microwave is way easier and it comes out fine.  I also added chopped walnut and chocolate chips and sprinkled sliced almonds on top, making it my version of brownies J  I loved everything about this recipe: the technique, the simple ingredients, and the result.  Literally, I had to stop myself from aborting the baking portion and just eating the batter before the eggs were added, LOL.

Dana's Extreme Chocolate Fudge Brownies
For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         10 tbsp (145 g) unsalted butter

·         1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar

·         ¾ cup (80 gr) plus 2 tbsp (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder or cooking chocolate

·         ¼ rounded tsp Kosher salt

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         2 large eggs, cold

·         ½ cup (70 g) all-purpose flour

·         2/3 cup (75 g) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

·         ½ cup chocolate chip

·         ¼ cup almonds, sliced

Directions:

1.       Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F (163 C).

2.       Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch square (or you can use a 9x13 inch) baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.  This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled).  Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside.

3.       Combine the butter, sugar,cocoa, and salt in a medium microwave bowl.  Microwave for one minute intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, or you can do it in a saucepan on the stovetop.  Set the mixture aside until it cools slightly (is warm to touch not hot).  It will look gritty but it will become smooth once the other ingredients are added.

4.       Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  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 fully incorporated, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.  The batter will be quite thick.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips (if using).  Spread evenly in the lined pan. Sprinkle sliced almond on the top.

5.       Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20-25 minutes.  Note: Some have found they need to bake an  extra 10-15 minutes, so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the toothpick test  as your guide.

6.       Cool completely, then remove from pan.  For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.  Cut into squares and serve.

Caution: these brownies will make you lose all self-control and probably derail any diet you’re on.  You’ve been warned! LOL

Final result: heaven on earth.  No exaggeration J

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         10 sdm (145 g) mentega tawar

·         1 ¼ cups (250 g) gula pasir

·         ¾ cup (80 gr) plus 2 sdm (30 g) bubuk coklat atau coklat masak tanpa gula

·         ¼ sdt garam

·         1 sdt ekstrak vanilla

·         2 butir telur ukuran besar

·         ½ cup (70 g)  terigu serbaguna

·         2/3 cup (75 g) walnut atau pecan, cincang kasar (optional)

·         ½ cup chocolate chip

·         ¼ cup almond, iris tipis

Cara:

1.       Letakkan rak memanggang  pada baris ketiga dalam oven dan panaskan oven pada suhu 325 derajat F (163 C).

2.       Siapkan loyang ukuran 8x8-inch  (atau bisa juga ukuran 9x13 inch) yang telah dialasi kertas roti atau aluminium foil. Olesi dengan minyak, sisihkan.

3.       Masukkan mentega, gula, bubuk coklat, dan garam ke dalam mangkuk.  Panaskan dengan menggunakan microwave dengan selang waktu 1 menit.  Aduk sesekali sampai mentega meleleh dan licin. Atau bisa juga dengan cara memanaskan di atas kompor dengan api kecil. Biarkan hangat.

4.       Tambahkan vanilla dan aduk menggunakan sendok kayu atau spatula.  Tambahkan telur satu per satu, aduk dengan kuat.  Ketika adonan mulai kental, mengilap dan bercampur rata, masukkan terigu dan aduk sampai betul-betul bercampur.  Aduk sekitar 40 kali adukan dengan spatula.  Adonan akan menjadi kental. Tambahkan kacang-kacangan dan chocolate chips (jika menggunakan).  Tuang ke dalam loyang, ratakan. Taburi dengan irisan almond.  

5.       Panggang selama 20-25 menit dan lalukan tes tusuk. Catatan: Beberapa orang memerlukan waktu memanggang 10-15 menit lebih lama, jadi perhatikan tingkat kematangan brownies Anda dan gunakan tes tusuk sebagai penunjuk.

6.       Dinginkan, keluarkan dari loyang.  Untuk mendapatkan irisan yang rapi, masukkan brownies ke dalam freezer selama 10 menit.  Potong sesuai selera dan sajikan.