The Chocolate Brownie

This baked confection was discovered in the early 1890’s and after its long and arduous journey of being a fancy dessert at restaurants, coffeeshops, patisseries, it has finally made its way into our homes. In the debate of what makes the perfect brownie, the question that pops up often is, should they be cakey or fudgy? I think most of us are going to vote for the fudgy ones, and those who like them cakey, might also change their mind after trying this recipe out.

Made with cocoa powder and chocolate chips, the brownies are flaky on the outside and a decadent fudgy on the inside. These homemade goodies are really simple to whip up and you wont regret the calories.

The secret tips to making a perfect Brownie are:

• The fat to flour ratio: the fat (butter and eggs) should be more than the flour.

• The addition of chocolate chips/chocolate pieces make them extra rich.

• Adding half brown sugar gives it that chewy consistency.

• The crackly top is thanks to the meringue formed by mixing sugar and eggs together.

• Using a balloon whisk or low speed mixing is key to making a dense fudgy brownie. Overmixing and high speeds make it cakey.

• There is no need to add baking powder/soda as the eggs act as the leavening agent here.

The Chocolate Brownie

Serves: serves 6-8

Prep time: 15 mins

Baking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

◻ ½ cup/100gm butter

◻ 1 cup/200gm semi sweet chocolate chips

◻ ½ cup/100gm sugar

◻ ½ cup/100gm brown sugar

◻ 3 eggs

◻ ½ cup/60gm flour

◻ ¼ cup/30gm unsweetened cocoa powder

◻ pinch of sea salt

◻ ½ tsp espresso powder/coffee powder/vanilla essence (optional)

Preparation:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together either over a double boiler or in the microwave (in 30 second intervals) until melted and stir well until combined. Allow the mixture to cool.

2. Preheat the oven at 175℃/350℉ for 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, break the eggs and add both the sugars and whisk them together until smooth and foamy which takes around 1-2 minutes. I use the hand whisk while making brownies to prevent overmixing.

4. Pour in the chocolate mixture into this and combine well for not more than 30 seconds.

5. To this, add the sifted flour, cocoa powder and salt. Fold in until combined, for less than a minute.

6. Transfer the batter into a prepared 8" x 8" square baking pan lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper should be extended over the sides of the pan to allow easy removal of the brownie.

7. Bake at 175℃ for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are set while the center is still wobbly. Take them out of the oven when there are still some crumbs on a toothpick inserted in the centre.

8. Set the tin on a rack and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving (muster up all the restraint and resist the urge to cut them warm) .

9. Use a plastic knife or knife with a thin blade (dipped in warm water and then wiped) before slicing into it to get the perfectly shaped brownie.

P.S. The size of the baking pan decides the thickness of the brownie and the cooking time, smaller pans will result in thicker brownies with longer baking time and bigger pans will give you thinner brownies with lesser baking time. Once you have got this recipe mastered you can get innovative and add texture to your brownie mix, I like adding walnuts, dried cranberries or white chocolate chips, and the kids get really excited when I add golden Oreo chunks. These brownies can also be topped with salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, chocolate ganache or pistachio cream, the options are as innumerable as your imagination. My favorite would have to be the warm chocolate brownie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, à la mode.

A little bit of flour, a sprinkle of sugar and tons of love...

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