America's Test Kitchen Chewy Brownies

I seem to be on a quest for the "perfect brownie" (among other recipes). This past weekend, my husband turned to America's Test Kitchen and they happened to be making the "Ultimate Chewy Brownie". We were definitely intrigued with the recipe and wondered how we would like this version.

There have been a few recipes that I have tried lately that have that one (or more) questionable ingredient that almost makes me ditch the whole thing. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not (and never have nor will) drink coffee of any kind. So, when I saw that the second ingredient in this recipe was Espresso, I was initially turned off. But, would we be missing out by not trying this recipe? After all, it's the Ultimate Chewy Brownie from their test kitchen! I decided to forge through and went to the store for Espresso and the rest of the ingredients. I will say that while making the batter (especially the very beginning), I was very turned off by the coffee aroma and was very skeptical about the finished product.

I'm a little quirky- I can be uber patient on some things, but not so much on others. And waiting for brownies (or other food) to cool, is not a strong point of mine. I mean, why do I need to wait???? This recipe says to let the brownies cool 2 1/2 hours!!! What?!? So, being the rebel that I am on occasion, my husband and I tried the first bite after about 20 minutes of cooling. Our initial reaction? We both came to the conclusion that maybe we don't know what a good brownie tastes like. I won't deny that I was disappointed after following the directions to a T. Not that this was bad by any means, but it didn't wow us at all. I left the remainder on the rack to finish cooling. When I went back into the kitchen to put them away, I couldn't help but take a little bite. And....it did WOW me then! It's like the whole texture of the brownie changed as it completely cooled. I don't think I have tasted enough recipes (hint, hint) to proclaim this the "Ultimate" brownie, but it sure was good! It is very rich, chocolaty and chewy!



Ingredients (24 brownies or 48 bite sized)


1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (I sifted the cocoa)
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso (optional)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.


Whisk cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water in a large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted.

Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled).

Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous.

Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated.

Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Bake about 30-35 minutes.

Transfer pan to wire rack and cook 1 1/2 hours. Using foil, lift brownies from pan. Place on wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

ENJOY!!

One Bowl Brownies

Who doesn't love a yummy brownie?? There are so many great (and different) recipes out there for brownies! On my quest for the perfect (for my taste) brownies, I have been trying quite a few lately. I ran across this recipe for One Bowl Brownies that I decided to make. These were super easy to make (and clean up) and uses pretty basic ingredients. If you are looking for something yummy, gooey and full of chocolate, give these a try! These would be perfect for that last minute dessert you need to make!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the chocolate and butter for 2 minutes in the microwave. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Stir in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour.
Pour the brownie batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake. Start testing around 20 minutes with a toothpick.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Cream Pie

I have a list of recipes that I want to find or create and one item on that list is a chocolate cream pie. There are so many yummy variations out there, but I haven't quite found what I am looking for yet. I guess there are worse things in the world than having to experiment with chocolate pie!! I found this recipe for Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie on the Food Network website. Unfortunately, I have to admit that this one wasn't exactly what I was looking for either. But, it is a very rich, chocolate and creamy pie that you should definitely give a try!

Mmmmm...chocolate!

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 (9 inch) chocolate cookie crust, baked (I used a regular pie crust this time)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until combined and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla.

4. Continue whisking until combined (mixture will be very thick).

5. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

6. Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

7. Gently fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate pudding mixture.

8. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Egg less Chocolate Cake

My husband has a co-worker who is vegetarian and he asked if I had ever made an egg less cake. I have not, but thought I would take the bait. I came across this recipe for Wacky Cake that I decided to make. The cake was moist and had a nice chocolate flavor. For me- the icing was the best part! This definitely wouldn't be my first choice for a chocolate cake, but it is nice to know there is a good egg less recipe if I need one. After making it, I have found that there are a lot of versions of Wacky Cake on the Internet. I might just have to try another one or two.

The only issue I had with this is that the cocoa in the icing clumped a little and you can see small dark specs in the finished icing. The recipe does say to not let the icing boil and mine did slightly boil. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it or not. I will now be on a quest to figure this one out! Stay tuned...

Ingredients

3 cups flour

6 tbsp cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup oil

2 tbsp vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients until smooth and spread into a 9x13 inch prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cake completely before icing.

ICING

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa

3 tbsp milk

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Melt the butter, cocoa and milk in a saucepan. Do not boil. Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Spread icing over cake.

ENJOY!

French Silk Pie

A few months ago, I wanted to make a chocolate pie and went on a search for a good recipe. I ended up picking a French Silk Pie recipe from my Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook. This is VERY good!! I will warn you though that it is also very rich! It is almost fudge like in texture, but oh so good!! You can either whip up some heavy whipping cream or use Cool Whip for the topping. I prefer using the heavy cream, but would use the Cool Whip in a pinch! Add some chocolate shavings on top and you have a very nice dessert for any meal!

Ingredients
1 baked pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (6 oz)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tbsp whipping cream (or creme de cacao)
1 cup whipped cream

Directions
Prepare pie crust; set aside. In a medium heavy saucepan combine 1 cup whipping cream, chocolate, butter and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted (about 10 minutes).




Remove from heat. Gradually stir half of the hot mixture into egg yolks. Return egg mixture to chocolate mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and begins to bubble (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. (Mixture may appear lightly curdled). Stir in the 3 tbsp whipping cream (or creme de cacao). Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the mixture stiffens and becomes hard to stir (about 20 minutes)

Transfer the chocolate mixture to a medium mixing bowl. Beat chocolate mixture on medium to high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Spread filling in the baked pastry shell.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 5 hours to 24 hours.

Before serving, remove plastic wrap.

Top with whipped cream and serve.

Enjoy! (Just posting this makes me want to go in the kitchen and get another bite....yum!!)