World-Famous Brownies
I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with brownies. I want to love them, but am so often disappointed by the reality of them. I’ve tried lots of recipes … and I mean lots, and have never found one that really did it for me. Until now.
These brownies are so good I just had to share. As you can see, they’re very dense and moist – not cake-like at all, which is what I like in a brownie. If I wanted chocolate cake, I’d make cake. I want the texture to be dense, but moist and not so heavy that you feel like you can’t chew the darned thing! I adapted the recipe from the Cheyenne Frontier Days Daddy of ‘em All Cookbook.
World-Famous Brownies
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, cold water, oil, and cocoa in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine flour and sugar in a bowl and combine with chocolate mixture after it comes to a boil. Mix well. Add baking soda, salt, vanilla, buttermilk, and eggs. Pour into greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it tests done (mine took 35 minutes). While brownies are baking, make glaze.
World-famous Brownie Glaze
- 1/2 cup butter
- 6 tbsp espresso or strong coffee
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional – I omitted them)
Combine butter, coffee, and cocoa in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil slowly for 1-2 minutes, remove from heat. Pour chocolate mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer too) and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well until glaze is very smooth. Add nuts if you are using them. Pour over warm brownies right after you remove them from the oven. Let cool completely in the pan before you cut them (or the glaze won’t be set up). Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a cup of coffee.
Category: Dessert 8 comments »
April 1st, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Damn, those look like they’re ready to melt even in the photo! I’ll have to try that recipe. <3
April 1st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
There is a great recipe in one of the Silver Palate cookbooks, but I basically get the most compliments when I add a bunch of chocolate chips to a mix. Sad. I know what you mean, though.
April 1st, 2010 at 1:13 pm
They look fabulous! I have a go-to brownie recipe from Rosie’s Bakery in Boston.
April 1st, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Yum, they look decadent!
And that’s a beautiful photo, Steph!
April 1st, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Susan Purdy, in Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes, suggests covering brownies with plastic wrap (or one of those Saran “shower caps”) while they cool. It’s impressive how much moisture condenses on the plastic and then falls back onto the brownies. I’ve tried it and it does help keep brownies moister—not that it lasts very long here in Fort Collins, CO.
April 3rd, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I’ll try it! I too use a mix, the Ghiradelli one is best. But I’d rather make them from scratch.
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:09 pm
How odd—I made the recipe this afternoon (first rainy day in ages, in case it matters) and mine ended very cake-like. They taste great but sure aren’t anything like yours in consistency.
They also baked in 20 minutes instead of the 35 you mentioned. I used a metal pan. I also did the last bit of mixing in the KitchenAid since I couldn’t whisk in all the milk and eggs.
The plot thickens, doesn’t it?
May 10th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Guh! I should not have read that before dinner. I am so hungry