Chocolate Brownies Recipe

(More like an exotic mix between a Romanian and American brownie)

Brownies have always been my favorite childhood dessert. In time I discovered more and more ways to diversify the classic recipe and today I’ll show you one of the many variations, but keep in mind that you can play around with any recipe and change / remove / add any amount or ingredient to create something unique, just like you!

This recipe is a combination of the Romanian dessert "negresă"(quite similar to the classic brownie) and the American "Brownie", i.e. between a fluffy batter (due to the baking powder) and the intense taste of dark chocolate. This combination creates a delicious, decadent dessert, that is also addictive (You have been warned!).

Let's begin!

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (or if you don’t have a heater setting, like I don’t, leave it on low heat until you’ve mixed all the ingredients).

Ingredients:

·      For the batter:

-    5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I use chocolate tablets with 75% cocoa content);

-    1/2 cup of unsalted butter, cut into pieces;

-    2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder;

-    1 cup of granulated white sugar;

-    1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;

-    4 large eggs;

-    3/4 cup of all-purpose flour;

-    1/4 teaspoon of salt;

-    1 teaspoon of baking powder;

-    Optional: chopped nuts, jam (preferable something more sour-ish, like sour cherries), 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (This time, I made the brownie for my grandparents, so I avoided the harder ingredients and I just used jam. But usually I add a bit of everything!).

·      For the topping:

-    2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (chocolate tablet with 75% cocoa).

Mixing the ingredients:

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a large heat proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.

 

When everything is melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the remaining ingredients as follows:

· The sugar and cocoa (after I measure them, I put them together in a bowl and blend them to get rid of any lumps the cocoa might have), then you whisk everything for a few minutes (at this stage, the mixture takes on a weird, "sugared", consistency. Do not panic! Everything will sort it’s way out by the end.);

 

· The vanilla extract and the eggs, one by one, whisking thoroughly after each one (at this point, beating will become harder);

 · The flower, which has been previously mixed with the baking powder and the salt (just like before, after I measure them, I put them together in a bowl and blend them well) and fold everything in, gently, from the bottom of the bowl upwards, with a wooden spoon (to incorporate air into the batter);

 · The jam (the amount is based on everyone’s preference, I put about 4 tablespoons) and stir gently with the wooden spoon.

After the composition is ready, butter an 8 inch pan and coat it with flour (this method works best for most baked sweets I make). The mixture is added to the pan, is evened out carefully, especially towards the edges and then it’s introduced into the pre-heated oven, at 325 degrees F or on medium heat (for those without a heater option).

 Leave it for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (for those with a heat setting) or, what I do, check the brownie, from time to time, using a toothpick (I check after 20 minutes, if the batter is still fluid,  I leave it 20 more minutes and check again, then 10 more minutes and it's usually ready). This, of course, depends on everyone’s own oven.

I also like to do a little extra step, after about 20 minutes, I remove the pan from the oven and add a bit more jam on the surface of the brownie and then put it back into the oven.

 When ready, remove from the oven and allow it to cool, until it reaches room temperature.

The topping:

In a small heat proof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Remove from the heat and leave it to cool slightly, until it becomes more dense.

Pour the topping over the cooled brownie and spread gently, using the back of a spoon.

Then refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

In the fridge, our brownies are edible even after a week, but I guarantee they will not last uneaten for so long!

Good luck and bon appétit!

For more recipes, keep an eye out for future posts! I wish you all the best!