The Baked Brownie
8 Jan
I am always up for a good chewy, chocolatey brownie, and with all the hoopla surrounding the Baked Brownie, from the famous bakery in Brooklyn, I decided to whip up a half batch and see just how outstanding they were.
But before anyone accuses me of being unkind this early in the new year, I actually made these back in November, but I haven’t had a chance to post them until now.
And my verdict is ……………..
Truthfully? I must have made an error somewhere, because I didn’t think these were so outstanding. They were too buttery for my tastes, which leads me to believe that I mismeasured something, somewhere. I did halve the recipe, so perhaps my math skills were a bit skewed that day (me? math skills? ha ha ha).
I’m still clinging to Ina’s Outrageous Brownies for the #1 spot, unless someone has another suggestion. I’ve tried Martha’s and I wasn’t overly thrilled with those either.
Too bad, I really was hoping that these would be * it *.
The Baked Brownie from Baked – New Frontiers in Baking
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve. Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Your photo looks fantastic though. I think that it is tastespotting worthy!
The Baked Cookbook is on my wishlist. I’m sorry the brownies didn’t turn out for you.
So sorry they didn’t turn out as you would have liked. Let me know how the other recipes in the book fare, it is on my wishlist too!
Ina’s sound good though!
k… I havent tried Ina’s or these but my go to brownie recipe is the one that is on the side of the King Arthur Flour bag. I think brownies might be a little subjective to the eater because everyone likes them a little different… but these are the perfect blend of cakey, fudgey with the flaky crispy bits on the top… yum!
I’ve heard good things about these brownies, so it was interesting to read your review. I love Ina’s brownies too and consider them my favorite classic brownie. Dorie’s French Chocolate Brownies are really good too, so you might want to try them if you haven’t already!
howdy. it’s matt, one of the author’s of baked. my friend sent me the link to your website, and i had to check it out. thrilled that you made the brownies, but bummed to hear they didn’t turn out so well.
i would give them another try, i promise you they are the bomb (it is our best seller in the bakery and one of our most requested recipes). oh, and try to use valrhona cocoa powder. anyway, thanks for giving them a go either way.
have a great weekend and happy baking to all.
Check out my brownies, posted today. They are really good and have pureed black beans! Healthy is written all over that!
Sorry you didn’t love these. I don’t think I’ve found my “favorite” brownies yet. Sigh. Just have to keep searching, darn it!
Well, those brownies certainly look amazing. I’m all over chewy and fudgy also, but I have to admit: I usually make good ole Duncan Hines (or sometimes Ghiradelli!) So I’ll be following your research closely…
Nancy
They look very tempting, but Ina’s are pretty tough to beat.
Those look tasty, either way!!!
Alton Brown has some really good brownies…very rich and fudgy
I want to try these brownies, I just got that cookbook for Xmas and can’t wait to try some recipes out!
I actually really love these brownies, but the “secret” I discovered is that you really need to wait a day, preferrably two, before diving in. I know, I know, who wants to wait that long? But like you, I wasn’t impressed the first day, nor the second…but after that, WOW. I even have put them ahead of Ina’s, and I love her recipes more than anything.
Hi! I’ve linked your post to my Baked Brownie post. You’re welcome to join my cookbook giveaway.
Baking is my Zen will be having a
COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY
from August 8 through August 14, 2010.
http://bakingismyzen.blogspot.com/2010/08/cookbook-giveaway-by-baking-is-my-zen.html
The giveaway will be the ‘not yet released’ cookbook,
Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
By Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1584798505/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
Carmen of Baking is my Zen