Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Supernatural Brownies

Awhile back, I came across a blog that was conducting a sort of brownie experiment. She was testing out the brownie recipes featured in a New York Times article. One of the brownies peaked my interest. It was the Supernatural Brownie. Mostly because it was one of the many recipes, I had added to my “to-bake” list. I looked for the recipe and taped it to the fridge. And not to soon forgot about it.

Recently my friend Katie posted a recipe for gluten free mint brownies. They looked so dark and fudgy that I had to have a brownie immediately. Off to the kitchen I went in search of all the necessary ingredients. As I turned to preheat the oven, I noticed the recipe for the supernatural brownies, uh-oh. Guilt. I re-read the recipe and the article. Humph, what to do now? Well, I’m that not good with guilt, so I knew I was going to be baking Supernatural Brownies.

Not wanting to have sub par brownies, I took the author’s advice and used the best ingredients for my brownies. I agree with the author that brownies are best when they are simple (with or without nuts). I have always felt that the key to great brownies is good butter and great chocolate. I like to consider brownies “… a death by chocolate” sort of dessert.

For my “death by chocolate”, I used imported European butter and Callebaut chocolate. (Just as the author suggests.) Yes, it’s a little pricey for brownies but worth every penny. I wouldn’t serve these brownies to children or to people who aren’t chocolate lovers. They are just not going to be able to appreciate the subtleties of the chocolate and butter. If you know, any die-hard chocolate lovers then this would be an excellent way to show them you care on Valentine’s Day. One batch would easily yield you two lovely gift-wrapped boxes. So go ahead splurge on the chocolate & butter and your loved will thank you.

Supernatural Brownies
Adapted from “Chocolate: from Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers”
By Nick Malgieri


1 cup of butter
8 ounces of chocolate
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup muscovado sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of flour
½ cup of chopped nuts or ¾ cup of whole nuts, optional.

1. Butter a 13x9 pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl whisk (I used a large whisk and whisked everything by hand.) together the eggs. Whisk in the salt, sugars and vanilla.

2. Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the flour until just combined. If you’re adding, nuts now would be the time to fold them in. pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 35-40* minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.


*Okay
, I like fudgy-dark-make-your-knees-buckle-brownies. Brownies so chocolate-y you have to sit down to eat them. At 35 minutes if the center of my brownies does not jiggle, I take them out and let them cool in the pan overnight. The next day with a hot knife, I trim the edges off and cut them into squares.

That’s my secrete to great fudgy brownies. An over baked dry brownie is crime, in my opinion. These brownies are fantastic, but the key is not to over bake them. They are everything that Nick Malgieri claims. They are indeed …supernatural brownies

24 comments:

Katie said...

Mmmmmm death by chocolate brownie indeed. They look fantastic and sooo dark and fudgy. I want to reach into your blog and eat one :)

Cookie baker Lynn said...

I, too, hate to waste superb ingredients on indifferent eaters. These I would definitely savor and share with a few discriminating friends. Beautiful!

Deborah said...

I agree with you - I do not like overcooked brownies. These sound absolutely wonderful!

Annemarie said...

They do look just scrumptious - fudgey gooey bit just a bit of crumble to the crust. Now you have me craving both supernatural and mint brownies...

Brilynn said...

I will never tire of brownies, these sound supernatural indeed!

Jessica said...

Thanks for the shout-out! I'm curious: you said that, for you, the most important ingredients in a brownie are the butter and chocolate. You used high-quality chocolate for sure. Is there a certain butter that works best for you?

slush said...

Mmm. We are a brownie household. Love them. All 5 of us. They look super fudgy good. Yum!

OH and I made your jam coffee cake Sunday morning. Jaos loved it. So, thanks! xo

Sabra said...

Want to hear something weird? I have never made conventional brownies (ie brownies made the old fashioned way without olive oil or things of the like) - this is reminding me I am missing out! Sounds like a great recipe and I've heard that European butter makes all the difference!

test it comm said...

Those brownies look so good! Brownies are one of my favorites. This reminds me that I have not made them in a while. I will have to fix that.

Sarah said...

Oh my! These look amazing. I had been craving brownies so I grabbed a box mix & made them the other day, but now I want these ones!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh these look so good! I am a huge lover of chocolate and brownies. What a great idea to give these as a gift. It's a nice alternative to just a box of chocolates.

Dori said...

Question: I saw the recipe for Martha Stewart's Vanilla Malt cookies a few posts down, but it isn't clear how much malt powder to use in the recipe. Is it 3/4 Cup, teaspoon, or Tablespoon? I'd love to try the recipe, but I don't want to mess it up.

Cakespy said...

Lordy! I just had an out of body experience just reading this. Supernatural, indeed!

Gigi said...

Dori,

I am so sorry about the typo. I have fixed it and it should say 3/4 cup of malted milk powder. The cookies are delicious and you will not be disappointed.

Dori said...

Thanks, Gigi. I can't wait to try the Vanilla Malt Cookies recipe. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!

I love your blog--just today I've already found three recipes here that I want to make. Keep up the great posts, and thanks again.

Allison said...

ooh, those look delicious. I bet they were amazing, since you used good chocolate - it really does make a world of difference. =)
I just made the French Chocolate Brownies from the same blog, and they were pretty amazing! The most delicate brownies I've ever had.

Anonymous said...

If over baking brownies is a crime then yours must be the sheriff! Looks fabulous!

Chibog in Chief said...

i'll definitely add this up on my to eat list too!! yummy!!

Mallow said...

The color of those brownies is beautiful...it looks like you got them perfectly done. I hate to admit how often I overbake mine - I haven't gotten the knack of determining when a brownie is done.

Anonymous said...

Great brownie tip! I've always underbaked mine coz like you, I love my brownies fudgy, but to let them cool in the pan overnight is definitely something new. Thanks for sharing :) And by the way, those brownies look nothing short of supernatural!

eatme_delicious said...

Mmm those look really delicious. I wish I could use Callebaut chocolate in all my baking - makes everything so much better!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

those brownies are the epitome of chocolate decadence - too sinful!! haha. your advice for baking up a perfect batch of brownies is excellent - thank you for sharing your secret! :0)

2theworldofchocolate said...

I think brownies need to be categorized as the next comfort food. I can taste the rich melt those brownies have, just looking at the picture. I can't wait to try the recipe.

Anonymous said...

my mouth is watering! i have to try these this weekend. and really, is there any point in making brownies that aren't dark and fudgy?