How I created my first brownie recipe - Fudgy brownies with Creme de Cacao buttercream

My fiance is constantly asking for brownies. It's gotten to the point where I don't even bother to ask what she wants me to bake anymore. I think there's been some Pavlovian conditioning somewhere along the line to condition her to crave brownies when she hears the word "bake." Or possibly she's got some sort of rare brownie-related deficiency. Either way, I end up making brownies fairly often. But this time I wanted to do something special. This time I wanted to come up with a brownie recipe all my own. So I hit the books (specifically BakeWise and CookWise) and came up with a recipe of my own. As soon as I peeked into the oven and saw that they did indeed look like brownies, I started cabbage-patching. And don't even get me started on when I tasted them. These are nice and fudgy, my favorite way to eat brownies. I'll be posting a little later in the week about how to come up with your own recipe (what makes them fudgy, chewy, soft, etc), so stay tuned for that too.

Edit: You can now find that post here.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 4 oz butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp espresso powder
• 1 oz water
• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 4 oz butter, softened

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp Creme de Cacao
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Chocolate, for decoration (optional)

Directions

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Melt the butter and the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stir until smooth and uniform.
3. Microwave the 1 oz of water for 25 seconds, until it starts to boil. Add the espresso powder and stir.
4. Add the eggs, salt, sugars, molasses, vanilla, and espresso to the chocolate and butter mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Pour the brownie batter into this dish and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Beat the 4 oz of butter on low speed in a mixer and add the powdered sugar gradually.
7. Add in the creme de cacao and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl often.
8. Once the brownies are cooled, spread the frosting on top and transfer to the refrigerator for approx 30 minutes.
9. Melt the decorating chocolate and pour it into a parchment cone or decorating bag fitted with a very small round tip.  Remove the brownies from their pan and peel down the foil. In diagonal lines, squeeze chocolate over the brownies. Be sure to continue squeezing past the sides of the brownies and work quickly. Artfully messy is what we're going for here.
10. Cut the brownies into twelve pieces and enjoy.

What is your favorite kind of  brownie, fudgy or cakey?

Share on Tumblr