Monday 1 August 2011

PBG Recipe: Best. Brownies. Ever.

Last week I made the world’s best brownies, for the second time.  I made them the first time for the family to try.  I had never made brownies before but I know that I like my brownies to be fudgy, not cakey.  I also like them to be very rich and chocolaty with the added crunch of nuts.  After searching the web for the perfect recipe I came up with my interpretation of brownies.  And, if I do say so myself, they were easy and super tasty.  These will certainly be my go-to recipe for an easy chocolate treat.  They are the perfect compliment to vanilla ice cream.
Make these now.  You won’t regret it. 

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a 9-inch square baking tin with two pieces of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side.  Lightly grease the parchment paper with butter or cooking spray.
2.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.   Add the chocolate and with a spatula, stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
3.  Whisk in the sugar until well combined.
4.  Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
5.  Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift in the flour.  Whisk batter vigorously for 1 full minute, until batter loses its graininess and becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
6.  Add the chopped nuts and with the wooden spoon, stir to combine.
7.  Pour batter into prepared baking tin and bake for about 30 minutes, until the centre feels almost set, do not over-bake.