Chewy Chocolate Brownies

I may have mentioned a time or two (or three) that I am fond of chocolate. And I am very fond of brownies. So I am always on the lookout for the perfect chocolate brownie. This may be it. I got it from the Cook’s Illustrated All-Time Best Recipes. You can check out, on their website, their scientific explanation about why these are wonderful – it’s all very interesting – and you can eat the brownies while you read about them.  They are truly absolutely scrumptious!

Chewy Brownies

1/3 cup Dutch cocoa

½ c. plus 2 tbs. boiling water

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine

½ c. plus 2 tbs. vegetable oil

4 tbs. unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ½ c. sugar

1 ¾ c. all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cayenne, optional

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2” pieces or ¾ c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook’s Illustrated says: Make a foil sling for 13x9” baking pan. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray foil with cooking spray.

I don't advise this, but it may work better for you.

·        *  I say: make a sling with parchment paper. The brownies really stick to the foil, so next time, I’ll use parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.

Whisk cocoa and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. 

Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. 

Did you ever see the movie Chocolat? Well, I felt a lot like Juliette Binoche while I made these...

Whisk in oil and melted butter (mixture may look curdled). 

Add eggs and yolks and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. 

Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. 

Whisk together flour and salt (and cayenne if you choose to be daring) in small bowl. 

I really like a bit of heat with my chocolate.

Mix into batter with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread batter into corner of pan and smooth surface. 

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. 

Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 1 ½ hours. If you use a glass pan, cool the brownies for 10 minutes, then remove them promptly from the pan (otherwise the superior heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking).

This is where I wasn't too impressed with the foil sling. The brownies did not come off the foil easily. So you may want to use a metal 9x13" pan to bake these.

Remove brownies from pan using foil. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 more hour. This is important for the chewiest texture. Cut into 2” squares and serve. Makes 24 brownies and can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If they last that long.

These are definitely the chewiest homemade brownies ever. They have a great rich flavor – nice and chocolaty with a crisp, flaky crust. Yummy!

Chocolate Mole

I wanted chocolate for Valentine’s day. Lots of chocolate. And I didn't care how I got it. I know it’s past Valentine’s Day for this year, but this is the menu that I fixed:

* Grilled chicken breasts smothered in Chocolate Mole

* Steamed asparagus with a balsamic vinegar reduction with grated semisweet chocolate

* Chocolate chile molten cakes (for the recipe, go to:

http://kim-cheyennefood.blogspot.com/2011/12/thanksgiving-desserts.html

For those of you that aren't familiar with the term “mole” (pronounced molé), this is what it says in Wikipedia: Moles come in various flavors and ingredients, with chili peppers as the common factor. However, the classic mole version is the variety called mole poblano [poblano is another name for ancho], which is a dark red or brown sauce served over meat. The dish has become a culinary symbol of Mexico’s mestizaje, or mixed indigenous and European heritage, both for the types of ingredients it contains as well as the legends surrounding its origin.

I also read that making traditional mole takes at least a day and all the female members of the family to prepare it. Wow! Not at this house! This Chocolate Mole takes about an hour and has a wonderfully complex flavor that compliments the mildness of the chicken. It’s not hot spicy at all even though the beginning ingredient is ancho chilies. I found the recipe on the NPR website.

From NPR: This recipe is adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books, 2009) by David Leibovitz. The sauce is complicated, but for your trouble, you'll be rewarded with a deep, complex flavor. I like to put this on grilled chicken, though it works well on a variety of entrees.

Chocolate Mole is served over grilled chicken. But it's also commonly paired with pork. <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

Here, Chocolate Mole is served over grilled chicken. But it's also commonly paired with pork

Peter Ogburn for NPR

Makes enough to smother a cooked chicken or a pork shoulder

Chocolate Mole

5 dried ancho chilies (you can get these at the store in the Mexican food section or sometimes in the produce section. I get mine from Penzey’s Spices – see the link on the right)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground cloves, dried oregano, powdered cumin, ground coriander, ground anise seeds

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup raisins or diced prunes

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I toasted them in the same pan I used to cook the onion, etc. Do NOT let them get too brown – just a delicate gold color.)

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup water (or more, as needed)

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted (I used a good quality chocolate)

Soak chilies in very hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. (Make sure they're submerged by setting a lightweight bowl on top of the chilies.)

In a small skillet, sauté onion in vegetable oil until soft and translucent. 

Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add dried spices and herbs and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds, being careful not to let them burn.

In a blender, grind together the almonds, cooked onions, tomatoes, spices, raisins or prunes, sesame seeds, 

Toast until light golden

salt, pepper and water. Puree until smooth.

Remove seeds and stems from the chilies and puree very fine, passing the chilies through a food mill. (If you don't have a food mill, press the puree through a mesh strainer to remove any skins. Some people just puree them, but they can be tough. [Yeah, I just pureed them. I didn't notice that it made any difference]) 

Blend the chili paste into the mole along with the melted chocolate and add additional water, as necessary, 

until the consistency is smooth and slightly pourable (I could have made it more pourable).

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This made a lot – enough for four separate dinners. We had it on grilled pork chops the next night. Fabulous!

This truly is one of the best moles I've ever tried – it is so worth the time! I started just eating it like applesauce, but decided to save some for Walt.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

I’m not a big cake eater – give me a cookie any day – but I needed a cake for a potluck. And I had some buttermilk to use. And I always have eggs from those busy little chickens. So this fit the bill.

This cake is easy, delicious, easy (I know I already said that), chocolaty, and just a fabulous sheet cake. I got the basic recipe at:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/

I did tweak it by adding the bittersweet chocolate and the egg yolk. Oh, and the chocolate chips sprinkled on before baking. I just think something chocolate can always be better by adding more chocolate.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

FOR THE CAKE:

2 cups Flour

2 cups Sugar

¼ teaspoons Salt

1/3 c. Cocoa

2 sticks Butter

1 oz. Bittersweet chocolate

1 cup Boiling Water

½ cups Buttermilk

2 whole Beaten Eggs

1 Egg yolk

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla

¾ c. Semisweet chocolate chips

FOR FROSTING:

½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans

1-¾ sticks Butter

1/3 c. Cocoa

6 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar = about 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Note: I use an 18×13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter and bittersweet chocolate.

Add cocoa. Stir together.

Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.

Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. 

Pour into sheet cake pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the surface. 

Bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. 

Melt butter in a saucepan. 

Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. 

Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. 

Add the pecans, stir together, 

and pour over warm cake. Let this frosting just ooze into the warm cake.

Have you noticed all the butter and chocolate? So good. 

Try to wait until it's cool enough to cut into squares. Then eat and enjoy. But it's ok if you don't wait until it's cool enough to cut. Still eat and enjoy!