How to make the best brownies ever

So the other day, MJ (another blogger) asked me if I would do a baking tutorial on making brownies. And since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I figured that brownies are somewhat appropriate for the occasion. You see, in my humble opinion, brownies are the single most sinful and enticing desserts ever created. When made well, they are rich, dark and absolutely delicious with versatile roles: a potential declaration of undying devotion to your loved one; or, a means to comfort yourself with the knowledge that you won’t be alone forever. Either way, they are a cinch to make. Really.

Before we start, there are three things that I must mention.

First: I cannot stress enough how vital it is that you use the best quality baking chocolate available. This means that you should not use cocoa powder, reason being that the majority of cocoa powder sold in stores today are Dutch-processed. This form of processing treats the chocolate with an alkalizing agent as to give it a milder flavour. So if you want that fudgy, rich chocolatey taste, that majority of the chocolate in your recipe should come in the form of baking chocolate – not cocoa powder.

Second: No mixers allowed. If you’re aiming for a dense, fudgy brownie, electric mixers will incorporate too much air into the batter and you will end up with strange cake-like mutants. Unless you like cakey brownies, in which case feel free to use an electric mixer; heck, add some baking powder too while you’re at it! However, if you’re aiming for the former, be prepared to use some old-fashioned elbow grease to achieve the brownie of your dreams.

Third: If you want your end product to look presentable and in actual brownie squares, cool the brownies completely before cutting. Seriously. I have tried to cut them while they were still warm, and needless to say, they weren’t very pretty.

So, with all this in mind, the recipe is as follows:

Dark Fudgy Brownies (from dessertfirst)

Ingredients:

– 5 ounces dark baking chocolate (1 ounce = 1 square of chocolate)

– 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

– 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

– 2 eggs, room temperature

– 1 cup sugar

– 1/4 teaspoon salt

– 1 teaspoon vanilla

– 3 tablespoons cocoa

– 1/3 cup flour

Step 1. Combine chocolates and butter in a heat-proof bowl and place over a bain-marie (a pot of simmering water) on medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted, and the chocolate/butter mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and let cool.

Step 2. Whisk eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until thick and light coloured, about 2-3 minutes. Your arm should feel relatively tired after mixing (well, mine did anyway).

Step 3. Add in the salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and whisk to combine.

Step 4. Add in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk to combine thoroughly.

Step 5. Add the flour in to the mixture and whisk to combine. At this point, the batter should be super thick (and in the process of getting thicker as the chocolate starts to cool further). Try not to eat the batter and actually save some when it comes time to bake it.

Step 6. Pour the batter into a prepared 8×8 inch pan, using a spatula to smooth the top and distribute the batter evenly into the corners.

Step 7. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees (I heated mine up to 325 degrees because I have discovered that my oven seems to get hotter than normal ovens…) for 20-25 minutes. They are done when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Step 8. Let cool on wire rack before cutting.

And you’re done! I leave you with one final note: this brownie recipe is by no means set in stone. At all. There are an infinite number of modifications that you can make to suit your tastes. White chocolate lover? Substitute in some white baking chocolate. Want some extra gooey-ness? Add a handful mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. Nut fan? Add some peanut butter or chopped walnuts. Need a Valentine’s gift? Decorate the brownie squares with icing and wrap them up in a fancy bag tied with a ribbon. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!