Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Lucky Charm Brownies
February 16, 2021 at 10:27 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, chocolate
If you are here expecting a brownie topped with pastel mini marshmallows and cereal bits, you will have to look elsewhere (they do exist, I checked the Google). These Lucky Charm Brownies have a different sweet treasure, both on top and in the batter- amaretti cookies.
The brownie batter contains many of the usual suspects…melted chocolate, cocoa, butter, sugar and eggs…but it’s gluten-free, as the flour is replaced with a mix of pulverized almonds and amaretti. The whole batter is actually whizzed up in the food processor, which makes it super quick and easy. It bakes up into a fudgy, truffle-like slab.
You could just stop there and cut them up into rich little squares. But why would you, when you could also dress them up with chocolate glaze and more crushed amaretti cookies? This makes them even richer but also even more irresistible, which is lucky for everyone who gets to try them.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here). Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Classic Brownies
September 1, 2020 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 3 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, chocolate, cookies
It’s back-to-school time (or something like that?) and we’re studying the classics…Classic Brownies, that is. No crazy mixing method, no ganache topping, no swirl of tahini, these are straight-up brownies with a nice crust and loads of walnuts, which you can leave out, if you must.
Brownies are perfect for sharing. I packed these up in a takeout container and brought them to an outdoor, socially-distant meet-up with my gym trainer friends in Prospect Park. It was nice to be outside (even though I fear the sun), drinking wine and eating brownies with people I’ve missed.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies
June 16, 2020 at 12:01 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 4 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, chocolate, cookies
I can’t really say much about these Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies because my mouth is too full- they are crazy good! Peanut-studded dark chocolate brownies with a layer of PB frosting and a chocolate glaze on top…I mean, come on. I made a 1/3 batch in a loaf pan just to save my figure. I took a cheat on the glaze topping and used some (different) chocolate-caramel glaze I had leftover from a Bundt cake I’d made for a friend a couple of weeks ago. It’s softer than the one in Dorie’s recipe, which sounds like it sets up like a firm sheet on top, and you can see that in my picture. I added some rainbow sprinkles because Pride Month!
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan (a similar version is also here). Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and please join us if you haven’t already!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Fudgy Mocha Bars
July 16, 2019 at 11:51 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 3 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, cookies
Chocolate, coffee and walnuts…these Fudgy Mocha Bars have all three in each bite, so it was pretty much guaranteed I’d like them. They also have the crackly crust and gooey insides that any good brownie should. Perfect with ice cream or an extra shot coffee, these little pick-me-ups were a hit with everyone who tried them.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and please join us anytime!
Tuesdays with Dorie DC: Sebastian’s Remarkably Wonderful Brownies
February 6, 2018 at 9:11 am | Posted in cookies & bars, DC, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 6 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, cookies
We’ve done lots of brownies and brownie-like-things with TWD by this point. But brownie possibilities are apparently limitless, so here are Sebastian’s Remarkably Wonderful Brownies. These are cocoa-only brownies, so no need to dip into your chocolate stash. I used Valrhona cocoa powder, which made them quite dark. They are very flavorful and they are the chewiest brownies I’ve ever made, which I guess is due to the long whipping time for the butter (not melted!), sugar and eggs. I like this chew a lot…it is remarkably wonderful.
For the recipe, see Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here). Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and please join us if you haven’t already!
Tuesdays with Dorie BCM: Chocolate-Cherry Brownies
June 9, 2015 at 12:01 am | Posted in BCM, cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 21 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, chocoate
By rough count I’ve made approximately one zillion brownie recipes here over the last eight years. Well, now I can add Chocolate-Cherry Brownies to that collection. These brownies are made in pretty normal fashion (unlike, say, Brownies for Julia), but have dried cherries and some finely chopped chocolate folded in at the very end. I’m not normally a fruit and chocolate gal, but I must say that I like these with their pop of tartness. My husband, who is a fruit and chocolate guy, declared them to be “excellent” brownies.
The recipe says to first plump up the dried cherries– you could also use cranberries– in port or red wine, but seems someone drank all the wine again (qui, moi?), so I used coffee instead. I made half a recipe in a loaf pan, and it took just about the stated time to bake. Several folks who made the full-sized batch noted that extra time was needed, so always use your baker’s instinct to check and adjust. I like to pop brownies into the fridge for at least a couple of hours after they’ve baked and cooled to room temp. It makes them set up nicely…what could seem underbaked or too gooey if cut right away magically turns into fudgy goodness…and they cut cleaner, too.
For the recipe, see Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Gluten-Free Double-Chocolate Brownies and a BOOK GIVEAWAY!
March 22, 2015 at 11:14 am | Posted in cookies & bars, sweet things | 14 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, dessert, giveaway
By no means do I follow a gluten-free diet (more like a gluten-full diet), but I know plenty of people who do, and I’ve had to do an increasing amount of gluten-free baking for customers at work. So I’m interested in it, even if I don’t do that much gluten-free baking at home, and was excited to see a copy of Gluten-Free Flour Power by Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot (from the very cool Ideas in Food) show up in my mailbox. They’ve developed gluten-free flour blends and devised recipes to use them that run the gamut of baking…breads, cookies, cakes, pies…heck, even kougin amann and cannelés! There’s pasta, dumplings, steamed buns and Japanese fried chicken, too.
Flipping through my new book, I fixated on a brownie that’s made gluten-free, not with a blend, but simply with the use of oat flour. When it comes to brownies, I’m not loyal to any one recipe. I play the field and always seem to be trying a different recipe out. Oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of mine, and I knew I’d like a bit of that wholesome flavor in brownie-form. You can buy oat flour at most stores or make it yourself by blitzing old-fashioned rolled oats in your food processor, blender or spice grinder. I use oat flour often for whole-grain pancakes and when I need it, I usually go the homemade route because it’s something that’s a lot cheaper to DIY (and it’s quick and easy). Just make sure the flour or the oats you buy are certified gluten-free if you also want your brownies to be.
These brownies use melted chocolate and a healthy amount of natural cocoa powder, so they really fix a chocolate craving. They’re tall and kind of straddle the line of being a little cakey on the edge and fudgy in the middle (I’m assuming this structure comes from having 6 eggs in the batter). And yeah, I could taste the oats, but no, I didn’t mind one bit. They’re delicious. A scoop of coffee ice cream on the side is delicious, too.
The kind folks at W.W. Norton sent me a copy of Gluten-Free Flour Power, and now I want to send a copy to one of you! Just leave me a comment (one per person, please) on this post before 5:00 pm EST on Sunday, March 29 and I’ll randomly choose a winner from the list. Be sure your e-mail address is correct so I can contact you.
Double-Chocolate Brownies– makes a 9-16 brownies
adapted from Gluten-Free Flour Power by Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot
Steph’s Note: If you grind your own oat flour and are using cup measures, grind more than you think you’ll need and measure again after. You can save any extra to add to other recipes. Also, nuts were not included in the original recipe, but I like them in brownies and added them to mine.
6 oz/ 170 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
12 tbsp/ 6 oz/ 170 g unsalted butter, sliced
1 cup/ 130 g oat flour
2 cups/ 400 g sugar
1/2 cup/ 60 g natural cocoa powder
1 tsp/ 6 g fine sea salt
6 large eggs (cold)
1/2 cup toasted and roughly chopped nuts (optional)
-Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. (You can line the pan with buttered parchment if you’d like, and the brownies will be easier to remove.)
– Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each until melted and smooth. It should take about 2 minutes total. You can do this in a double boiler on the stovetop if you prefer. Let the mixture cool.
–Put the oat flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk to blend. Add the eggs, one by one, stirring in each well with a rubber spatula before adding the next. If using nuts, fold them in now. Once all ingredients are incorporated, give the batter another 20-25 strokes to insure the batter is well-blended.
– Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the brownies are just set in the center. They should feel firm when gently pressed and they will not jiggle if you shake the pan.
– Let brownies cool completely before cutting them with a sharp knife. (I like to refrigerate brownies for a couple of hours before cutting them.)
***Giveaway Winner Update: I used random.org to generate a random comment number to find the winner. Congratulations to Becky Ellis! I’ll be in touch soon.***
Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Mocha Brownie Cake (or Baileys Brownie Cake!)
March 18, 2014 at 12:01 am | Posted in BWJ, cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 32 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, cake, chocolate, dessert, holiday
For Saint Patrick’s Day, I turned the Mocha Brownie Cake from Marcel Desaulniers into a Baileys Brownie Cake. Oh yeah! It was as easy as just replacing the coffee in the ganache with Baileys…plus a swig more to taste. I’m lucky I’m a fast baker, because I pushed the clock on this one. All those resting and chilling times didn’t really register when I read through the recipe. Thanks to my BFF, the freezer, I managed to get a photo while it was still light(ish) out.
I made a half recipe in six-inch form. It only took about 35 minutes to bake (I watched it closely, cuz no one likes a dry brownie). The cake is a cake-brownie hybrid. It starts out with whipped eggs– sort of like those Best-Ever Brownies we made awhile back– and also has baking powder for lift. I was kind of nervous to cut the cake into three layers, but it rose nicely in the oven and after it was chilled and firm, it was really no problem to slice…it helped that it was a small cake, I’m sure.
The filling and glaze is a dark chocolate ganache flavored with coffee (or Baileys for me, thanks). Delicious! I just realized after reading another blogger’s post that I completely forgot to add the extra sugar in the ganache. Oh well– it doesn’t need it, especially if you like your chocolate on the dark, bitter side (or you use sweet Baileys to make it). Even thought the recipe said to make sure the ganache was still pourable when filling the layers, mine was definitely spreadable– the consistency of thick custard. I didn’t see any problem with using it that way, and in fact it set up nicely. I didn’t need to build the cake up in a springform pan and it was ready to glaze quickly. I did reheat the remaining ganache so I’d have a shiny, pourable glaze for over the top. And then I sprinkled the cake with green luster dust for extra shimmer.
I’m really impressed with this actually. It looks great cut (use a hot knife) and it totally satisfies my ever-present chocolate craving. Also, it’s a heck of a lot easier to put together than Marcel D’s “Death by Chocolate Cake,” which I made once and is waaaay more involved.
For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Best-Ever Brownies
November 20, 2012 at 12:01 am | Posted in BWJ, cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 15 CommentsTags: baking, brownies
It wasn’t until yesterday when I actually got cracking on Rick Katz’s Best-Ever Brownies, that I realized I’ve made this recipe before. Back in Season 1 of TWD. Only then they were called Rick Katz’s Brownies for Juila. Different book, same recipe, same strange egg whipping technique. I am cheaply recycling the photo, because I missed my light window both yesterday and today (curses to work!).
Well, there is one difference between the two recipes. This version in Baking with Julia calls for 1/4 cup of extra flour. I prefer it with that extra little bit of flour…I think it gives the brownies a bit more structure. The batch I made yesterday looks the same as the one in the photo, but they are a little taller. This time I made half a recipe and baked it in a 9″ x 5″ metal loaf pan lined with parchment for 30 minutes exactly. Then I pulled them out of the oven to come to room temperature before I put them in the fridge to chill through. I did the same thing the last time around, because I remembered this made the chocolate goo solidify into chew. They were good brownies back then, and they are still good now.
For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan or read Monica’s A Beautiful Mess. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD blogroll!
TWD Rewind: Bittersweet Brownies (with Peppermint)
December 21, 2011 at 9:29 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 2 CommentsTags: baking, brownies, chocolate, dessert
I’ve been doing a lot of holiday baking…but it’s all for work…all for strangers. Home baking will largely have to wait until our customers resolve not to eat another slice of almond cake or pint of gelato or whoopie pie until Valentine’s day. (I kind of like the holiday rush, but I love the post-holiday slow-down.) I can’t possibly miss out on the last couple weeks of TWD, though, and this week the group is giving us a chance to make up a recipe we missed. I chose these Bittersweet Brownies specifically because I thought they might lend themselves to a little bit of Christmassy doctoring up…maybe my husband won’t feel so neglected. Instead of espresso powder, I added a few drops of mint extract to the brownies. And I actually do use a dropper for mint extract because things can go from a hint-of-mint to mouthwash pretty easily.
Everything came out right with these brownies. Since it’s the last brownie recipe in the book, maybe that means I’ve learned something. The texture was perfect…rich and fudgy. And of course they were choco-minty. I liked them best right out of the fridge. I’m going to leave one for Santa and see if I get a good present.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Lethally Delicious, as Leslie chose this recipe last month. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll and see what everyone else chose to rewind this week!
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