Thursday, July 1, 2010

Super Fudgy Brownies


Let's talk about brownies, shall we? 

When I first made these brownies, I was doubting the recipe the entire time. "There isn't enough flour!" I kept thinking. But since the recipe comes from the baking great, David Lebovitz, I figured it was worth seeing the recipe out as directed. I might have even audibly coaxed myself onward with a "It's David-freaking-Lebovitz, Madison! He knows baking!"Call me crazy, but my pep talk worked, and I continued. 

The head notes of the recipe said the step about stirring by hand for a full minute is very important, and after seeing the change in texture after stirring, I can understand why. The batter goes from grainy and dull to smooth and glossy in that one important minute. Please don't skip it.

After I removed the brownies from the oven I started to get nervous again. Butter had pooled in small places on the surface, which concerned me immediately. "This can't be right!" I harped. But the recipe said to let the brownies cool completely in the pan before even thinking about cutting them or removing them. Since it was late, I went to bed and figured I would deal with this whole thing in the morning. But in the morning there was nothing to deal with. The brownies were beautiful, dense, and ready to be eaten.

I didn't really trust myself with a whole pan of brownies in my apartment, much less dense and fudgy David Lebovitz brownies, so I cut them into squares and whisked them away to the office immediately. Thanks to chocolate-loving co-workers, they were gone by noon, but not before I took one for myself.

What I've learned? This whole process would have been much less stressful if I had just trusted the recipe and quit trying to make it wrong in my mind. Actually, the recipe is very simple and incredibly quick. Another major bonus is that it all comes together in a saucepan. For someone who loves baking and hates cleaning, this is a very good thing.




Super Fudgy Brownies
Adapted from David Lebovitz's Time for Dessert 
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
*6 Tbsp. butter
*8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
*3/4 cup sugar
*1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
*2 large eggs
*1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Instructions:
*Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly butter a sheet of parchment paper, then use the parchment paper to line an 8x8-inch baking pan (the parchment should go up the sides of the pan, too). Set aside.
*In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when chocolate is just melted. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the flour and stir vigorously by hand for 1 full minute. During this time the texture of the batter will go from grainy to smooth and glossy. The batter should also start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
*Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

Happy Baking!

Madison

12 comments:

Sarah M. said...

I just found your blog today and love it! I want to put everything on my "to bake" list for the weekend!

scrambledhenfruit said...

These look so rich and delicious, I'd have to take them to work with me as well to keep from eating them all. (I find myself doing that a lot these days.)Thanks for sharing the recipe- I'd have been worried as well but now if I make them I'll know what to expect!

Aaron John said...

Omg! This is beyond fudgey!! Looks soooo good! I'm still on the search for a brownie recipe and this looks great!
Would you mind checking out my blog? :D ajscookingsecrets.blogspot.com

kristin1724 said...

Is that 1/4 [cup] + 2 Tbsp flour? I really think I must make these and want to make sure I get the ingredients and measurements correct!

Anna said...

That's exactly the kind of brownies I like. Who needs flour? LOL. It looks amazing. I so want some right now.

Madison Mayberry said...

Kristin -

You are right, it's just a quarter cup flour plus two tablespoons. It seems like such a small amount, but it's right! I was skeptical at first, but just decided to truast the recipe. Also, make sure you're very careful to follow the instructions as far as stirring is concerned. Make sure you stir for the full amount of time and you'll see a difference in the texture. It will go from grainy to glossy and smooth.

The original recipe also called for a cup of walnuts, which I left out, but you could also add those in if you'd like. One last thing - make sure you let the brownies cool before cutting them or trying to eat them.

Happy Baking!
Madison

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOD. These look so rich and amazing.

Sara said...

Oooooooh these look SO good! I love fudgy brownies. :)

Anonymous said...

you should change the "*1/4 + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour" to 1/4 CUPS because I just made the recipe using 1/4 teaspoon.... which doesn't make sense anyway... i just rushed to the oven to stir in more flour... i hope it still turns out delicious!

Madison Mayberry said...

Goodness, you are absolutely right! I have changed it to note that. Hope they still turn out great! Let me know :)

madison

Anonymous said...

they were still awesome! thank you for the wonderful recipe!

Anonymous said...

Wow! These were a-mazing... Thankfully I'm giving them away tomorrow!

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