| Brownies | ||||
| Makes 12 brownies | ||||
| Filling | Topping | |||
| 2 sticks | butter, sliced | 1 cup | heavy whipping cream | |
| 3 | ice cubes | 1/4 cup | powdered sugar | |
| ________ | 2 tbls | Chambord liqueur | ||
| 4 | eggs | |||
| 1 tbls | vanilla extract | |||
| 2 1/4 cups | granulated white sugar | |||
| 1/2 cup | unsweetened cocoa powder |
NOTE: Allow 4 days to prep these and develop the flavor in the dough. It’s worth it. |
||
| 1 tbls | espresso powder | |||
| 1 tbls | salt | |||
| ________ | ||||
| 8 oz | 70%ish dark chocolate | |||
| ________ | ||||
| 1 1/2 cups | all-purpose flour | |||
| 3 1/2 oz | 70%ish dark chocolate | |||
| 3 1/2 oz | milk chocolate morsels | |||
| ________ | ||||
| 6 oz | 70%ish dark chocolate | |||
| Directions | ||||
 First
make the brown butter. In a large saucepan, add 2 sticks of sliced
butter. Put it over medium heat stirring occasionally with a spatula.
The butter will fizzle and churn until all the water in it evaporates.
Then some magic will happen. It will become quiet and you’ll just see a
soft frothing action. It’s hard to describe, but you’ll know it when you
see it. Let it froth like that for 15 seconds, then turn off the heat
and remove the pan from the burner. It’s ok if is appears to be
separated or if there are little crumbs of stuff in the bottom of the
pan. Gently add one ice cube to the butter and stir to dissolve it.
Repeat for the remaining 2 ice cubes. This will cool the mixture down
enough so it doesn’t cook your dough in the mixer. Leave the pan on the
stove top until you’re ready for it.In a mixer equipped with a beater, add the eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix on medium for 2 minutes until you get some soft ribbons. Sift in the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Start the mixer on low to moisten up the dry ingredients, then boost it to medium for 1 minute. Now add the browned butter and mix on low for 1 more minute. Chop up 8 ounces of dark chocolate and throw it in a large Pyrex measuring cup. Melt it in the microwave starting with a 30 second nuke. Stir it with a knife and check the consistency. Then repeat with 15 second nukes/stirs until it’s all melted and smooth. Add the melted chocolate to the batter in the mixer and mix on low for 1 minute. Sift in the flour and mix on low for 1 minute to combine. Chop up the next 3 1/2 ounce lift of dark chocolate and add it to the batter. Throw in the milk chocolate morsels, too. Mix on low for 1 minute. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper. Add the batter to the pan and smooth the top to even things out. Chop up the next 6 ounce lift of dark chocolate. Sprinkle them out evenly across the top of the batter and gently press them in. Loosely cover the top of the batter with clear wrap and place the pan in the frig for 3 days to meld those flavors together. Please don’t skip this step. Remove the pan from the frig. Preheat the oven to 350̊. Bake at 350̊ for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately wrap the top tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pan on a trivet in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze and seal in the moisture. After 30 minutes, move the pan to the frig for an additional 24 hours. Really, it’s worth it. Remove the pan from the frig. For presentation, I like to trim off the rough edges to make things nice, neat, and square. Save those cut-offs for yourself. Then slice the brownies into 12 squares. Keep them in a leftover container in the frig until you’re ready to serve. Now for the whipped topping. In a mixer equipped with a whisk, add the cream, powdered sugar, and Chambord. Whisk on high until light and fluffy (do not over-beat the cream!). Keep the topping in the frig until you’re ready to serve. Preheat your oven to 200̊. Place the brownies you will be serving on a cookie sheet or some foil. Gently reheat them at 200̊ for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to move them to your plates and serve them warm with a dollop of whipped topping. |
||||
