March 30, 2012

Brownies Keller Style


Chocolate? Are we seeing a theme to my baking here? Yes, it is an addiction. Typically I eat at least a whole portion of a chocolate bar a day. It's like my little end of day reward, but I know it's kind of crazy. I've been trying to cut back which is why I intentionally didn't stock up this week at the grocery store.

Last night I started to feel the panic... I almost sent Big Smith to the corner store at 10:30PM to get me something, anything chocolate. I resisted, but I woke up this morning knowing that I was going to find something to feed the monster. I came up with some cocoa powder and a few ounces of dark unsweetened chocolate and I knew just the recipe to rock my chocolate world. The biggest baddest brownies I've ever had, courtesy of the amazing Thomas Keller. I know my brownies, and these really are awesome. No adapting by me, I wouldn't mess with perfection!

Brownies by Thomas Keller from Ad Hoc at Home:
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 lb (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tbsp pieces
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 6 oz 64% chocolate, chopped into chip-size pieces *
  • powdered sugar to dusting top
* I used some slightly less amazing chocolate and only 4oz because it's all I had. It was still delicious but it would have been 2 oz more delicious his way!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking dish (Keller uses a silicone mold for better edges but I don't own one).

Chop the chocolate and set aside. In a medium bowl sift the flour, cocoa, and salt and also set aside.


Melt half of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat stirring. Place the remaining half of the butter in a medium bowl. Pour the melted butter over the remaining butter and stir to melt. The butter will look creamy with a little unmelted butter. Set aside and cool to room temperature.


In a mixer with the paddle, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until thick and very pale. Mix in the vanilla. Turn the speed to low and add one third of the dry ingredients, then add one third of the butter, and continue alternating adding all the flour and butter. Stir in the chocolate chunks to combine.


Scrape batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake 45 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.Bake for a few minutes longer as necessary (mine took closer to 55 minutes but my oven is typically slow).


Cool in the pan, then flip onto a chopping board. If you want to get nice crisp squares, cut off the edges and eat them like a crazy person in 30 seconds slice the remaining brownies into squares. Dust with powdered sugar and yum!


I did freeze about half of these to enjoy next time the chocolate monster strikes. They freeze beautifully and thaw quickly (and are even good fozenish!). Our family isn't that large so freezing baked goods keeps us from gobbling everything up too quickly. I'm trying to do it more often.

And here is an "out-take" from my photo shoot. Low afternoon light means the food needed to be lower than usual... and anything below three feet is in prime curious toddler territory. I'm not letting him lick the bowl just yet, but soon!

7 comments:

  1. Mmmm...brownies... This is very tempting indeed.

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  2. Just came across your lovely blog. This looks so good....yummy!

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  3. Ohhhhh yummmmm. P.s. spatula name/brand, please.

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    1. It's from Williams Sonoma years ago- it was a gift and I love it (but I burned a black mark on the handle just this week :( )

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  4. Whoa. These look amazing. Three sticks of butter?! No wonder they're good! I can't wait to try these. Am pinning them right now!

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    1. I know holy butter and I often try cutting down on so much fat... but with brownies you just gotta go for it!

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