Brownies, brownies and more brownies

Brownies:

Last weekend my husband spoiled me. I have been wanting a Kitchen Aid Mixer since he met me, however since I don’t actually cook anything more complicated than toast, I couldn’t justify buying one. Last weekend my life changed. He came home with the absolutely beautiful 100 year anniversary model of the Kitchen Aid Mixer.

I am in love. It’s gorgeous, looks amazing on my bench and makes me greatly overestimate my cooking abilities. The very first recipe I made in it was Chocolate Brownies, which we have been making for years without the mixer. I make a modified version of the brownies found on sallysbakingaddiction.com and they are truly phenomenal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (115g) salted butter*

240 grams of chocolate **

3/4 cup (150g) granulated white sugar

1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon concentrated vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (80g) all-purpose flour ***

2 Tablespoons (11g) cocoa powder****

1/4 teaspoon salt

*You can use unsalted butter I am sure, I’ve just never tried it as its not what I typically buy and I cook with whatever is in the house.

**I use a mix of Lindt balls (both milk and dark) and Hersheys cookies and cream to get to this amount of chocolate.

***Do not use Self Raising flour, unless you want a more cakey-style brownie, in which case go nuts! I have tried both and they are both good.

**** If you are desperate, try using a hot chocolate mix. I used Vittoria Chocochino last time when I ran out of cocoa, it the brownies still turned out perfectly.

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and chopped chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each. Remove from the heat, pour in a large mixing bowl, then allow to slightly cool for a few minutes.
2. While you are waiting for your chocolate mix to cool, adjust your oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 170°C/340°F for a fan forced oven. When I used to have a non-fan forced oven, I set it 180°C/355°F.  Line the bottom and sides of a 9×9 inch square baking tray, with baking paper, leaving an overhang on all sides so that you can get them out of the pan easily. Set pan aside.
3. Whisk the granulated white sugar and brown sugar into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Gently and slowly whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
4. Pour/spoon batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. Insert a toothpick into the center to check when the brownies are cooked. The toothpick should come out with only a few moist crumbs on it. Since I have a 3-second goldfish memory, I kept a reminder on my phone for 30 minutes and checked on it every 5 minutes from there.
5. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Cut into squares.

Note: The original recipe advised that you can frost these brownies. My advice is don’t. They are incredibly rich in themselves and simply don’t need it. If you prefer, serve with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Make ahead tip: For longer storage, these brownies apparently freeze well for up to 3 months, with the instruction to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. To be honest, these brownies are lucky to last a day at my house, so I wouldn’t know.