Baked Goodies

50th post & search for ultimate brownie



Today's post is very special to me. It makes me look back and ironically I don't have to look back too far off. Because though I started this blog few months back from Dubai, it suffered a setback right after its' birth; with my changing country and home and all the happenings in between. It was only with a resolve and commitment that I started once again in May. And 45 days later, I'm writing my 50th post. 


Not just that, few other good things have been happening at Taste Junction. Yesterday I also posted the round up of my first event - Drive me nuts, which got a lovely response, thanks to all the participants. And today the 2nd post in the Friendship Chain Series has been posted by Reva, about an authentic sweet from North Kerala, called kinnathada by Dhyuthi of Melange. And on the photography front too, the pictures posted at taste Junction, are slowly entering the galleries of Foodgawker, Dishfolio and tasteologie. One  picture even found its way to a photography contest. Adding fun to all this happening are some great awards, my fellow bloggers have bestowed on me. All this in past one and half months. How can I not be happy?







When I was thinking of my 50th post, the choice was actually simple - it had to be brownie, my favourite way to fulfill a chocolate craving. And it was made even easier when I was invited for an all girls' party. Perfect! So I can give in to my temptation but no chance of over indulgence when it will be shared by a gang of girls. Now for almost a year this was my absolute favourite recipe for brownie/ blondie. This had been the most trustful recipe for a great blondie. But now I felt was time to explore new recipes, new tastes. 


This was the difficult part, with so many great recipes out there. So I did, what I should have done quite some time back - a recipe compilation of the best brownies. Though ideally it should be posted a recipe comparison, with all brownies baked, eaten and clicked to share my feedback. But due to chocolate lover in my household being restricted to only me; who has been adding many calories to not-so-thin frame; I had to drop that idea. But what I would do - is to bake them occasionally and keep posting the findings. So hopefully within few weeks, I should have the finalist for this contest. So here's the side by side listing of the  most popular brownie recipes around. Hope it helps you guys as well, in selecting the best of the lot.
















Ingredient
New York Times
Martha Stewart
Dorie Greenspan
Baked
Cook's Illustrated
Ina Garten's
Unsalted Butter, cut in 1” pieces
8 tbsp/ 1 stick
6 tbsp, plus more
5 tbsp
2 sticks/ 1 cup
12 tbsp/ 1 ½ stick, cut
2 sticks/ 1 cup
Chocolate – coarsely chopped
4 oz bittersweet/ unsweetened
6 oz semisweet
4 oz bittersweet + 2 oz unsweetened
11 oz dark chocolate
6 oz unsweetened
6 oz semisweet & 3 oz unsweet
All Purpose Flour
½ cup sifted
¾ cup
1/3 cup
1 ¼ cup
5 oz cake flour
½ cup
Sugar
1 cup
1 cup
¾ cup
1½ cup sugar + ½ cup light brown sugar
2 ¼ cup
1.125 cup
Egg, Room temp
2 large
2 large
2 large
5 large
4 large
3 extra large
Additional
2/3 cup lightly toasted walnut or pecans (optional)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup walnuts /pecans


Vanilla extract
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
1 tbsp
1 tbsp
Baking Powder


¼ tsp




¾ tsp
1 ½ tsp
Salt
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
¼ tsp
1 tsp
½ tsp


Coffee Powder




½ tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
1 tsp instant espresso powder


1 ½ tbsp instant coffee powder




All the recipes are made the same way, by melting the chocolate and butter together, whisking in the sugar, then the eggs, and finally folding in the dry ingredients. The one I chose was Dorie Greenspan's classic brownies, simply because it used lesser quantity of butter and it immediately helped in reducing the guilt. 








Dorie Greenspan's Classic Brownie Recipe


Ingredients:


5 tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts 


Method:
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8” square pan with foil and either butter the foil or spray it with nonstick spray.

  • In a medium sized saucepan, over very low heat, combine the butter and chocolates. Stir until just melted and smooth, then remove from the heat. 

  • Whisk the sugar till it dissolves. Then whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add the coffee powder, vanilla, and whisk it very well.

  • Gently stir in the salt and flour just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula fold the chopped nuts.

  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester just about comes clean. Be very careful not to overbake. 

  • Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely, then use the foil to remove the brownies from the pan and cut into squares.

Notes:
  • I used dark brown sugar instead of granulated. And used a mix of different types of chocos. And I also used regular coffee powder, than espresso. 

  • And because of all these factors I found the brownies little less chocolaty. But I'm sure by using richer chocolates, one would get the greater flavour of chocolate

  • Brownies tend to bake even after removed from the oven, from the heat of the pan. So do not overbake it.

Taste Melanger

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