Thursday, March 15, 2012

Chocolate Chunk Brownies with Chocolate Ganache Frosting


 
I adapted this recipe from Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies. There are probably enough differences that he doesn't need to be mentioned, but Alton Brown is probably my favorite cook out there. He points out the science behind the food making process and that is awesome.

Brownie Ingredients:
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar*
  • 1 cup brown sugar*
  • 8 ounces melted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups cocoa
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2-1 tablespoon instant coffee
  • 1/2-3/4 cup of chocolate chips
*I didn't have enough brown sugar, so I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of molasses.

Directions:
Beat the eggs for about 1 minute, add the sugar and beat for about 1 more minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined. Put in a parchment lined 8 inch pan (I used a round pan). Bake for 45-55 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Just keeping an eye on the brownies after 40 minutes, ovens can vary and I was baking two pans of brownies at the same time. If you test the brownies, the knife should have some brownie on it, it shouldn't come out dry. Remove from the oven when complete and let cool. The parchment allows for easy removal from the pan. I find this helpful since my brownies always stick. Once cool, top with Chocolate Ganache below.

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (not milk chocolate, use semisweet- dark)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Directions:
Heat the cream on the stove top until it starts to boil. Be careful not to scorch/burn the cream. Put the chocolate chips in a glass bowl along with the coconut oil and pour the hot cream on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then stir until smooth. Allow to cool and then pour 1/2 of the recipe over the brownies. Or cool completely (refrigerate) the ganache and then beat with a mixer to have a less dense frosting. Use the other half of the ganache for another recipe (peanut butter and chocolate brownies) or cut the recipe in half.

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