Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies

Considering that Alton Brown is THE man when it comes to recipes, I just had to put his recipe for Cocoa Brownies into the lineup.

I have to admit that I didn't totally follow his method for making them. Instead of adding the sugars to the eggs, I added them to the butter. Then, I mixed in the cocoa powder (which takes care of any lumps without having to sift it first), and then I added in the beaten eggs and so on. I'm not saying that using my method versus his will make them turn out any better; it's just how I like to do things.


The brownies took 1 hour to bake in my oven and they were still just a little gooey in the middle (which is perfection in my opinion). They did puff up a little high in the oven and I worried that they would end up cakey, even though I made sure not to overbake them. But, I needn't have worried. As they cooled, the brownies flattened down nicely and turned into a dense slab of pure chocolatey fudgy insanity.


Holy smokes! These brownies are rich! They are not for the faint of heart. No, these are for the hard-core chocoholics. The intense fudginess factor just blew my mind. Having eaten boxed mix brownies for most of my life, I had no idea that brownies could even be like this. And to think, they turn out this way without having to add any melted chocolate to the batter - just cocoa powder. All I can say is wow! Alton Brown, you really are THE man!



Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies (from Food Network)

4 large eggs
1 c. sugar, sifted
1 c. brown sugar, sifted
1 c. butter, melted
1 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan (I lined mine with foil).

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow (I just whisked mine by hand till they were combined pretty well). Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured (or lined) 8" square pan and bake for 45 min. (mine took 1 hour). Check for doneness with the tried and true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean (I took mine out of the oven while they were still slightly gooey in the center). When done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool (this is crucial - you want the brownies to cool some so they become all dense and fudgy).

Notes:

1. I didn't sift any of my ingredients.
   
2. I whisked my eggs by hand just till they were well combined.
3. I melted the butter, then added the sugars and vanilla. Then, the cocoa powder and salt (which takes care of the lumps without sifting). Then, I added the eggs and finally folded in the flour just till combined.
   

The Best Brownie Bakeoff

What can I say? It was time for another great recipe quest. And what better than a quest for the best brownie ever. So, I decided that I would now kick off "The Best Brownie Bakeoff." Yeah, I like alliteration as much as I like brownies.

For me, a brownie has to be fudgy and chewy. In my opinion, if it's cakey, then that makes it a chocolate cake, and not a brownie. Secondly, brownies have to have a good chocolate flavor to them, and the more the better. I'm not a chocoholic by any means, but when it comes to brownies, I say go big or go home.

So, I've compiled a collection of what I feel are the best brownie recipes out there. You've probably heard of some of them, and there may be a few new ones. I've broken them up into three groups based on the ingredients in them.

• Group 1 = uses only cocoa powder

• Group 2 = uses only melted chocolate
  

• Group 3 = uses cocoa powder + melted chocolate

I'm curious to find out which combination will yield the ideal brownie. Can cocoa powder alone really do the trick or is melted chocolate absolutely necessary for awesome gooey-ness? Who knows, the results may surprise you. I also promise to keep these brownies as cost-effective as possible. Of course, if you just happen to have Valrhona or Scharffen Berger or any of that really good stuff in your kitchen, feel free to use it. But, for me, it's gonna be Hershey's cocoa powder and Trader Joe's chocolate (72% pound plus Belgian - only $4.99) all the way.

At the end of this quest, I may not ever want to see another brownie again (or at least for a month), but I'm willing to make the sacrifice in the name of science. So, let the brownie baking begin!

Self-Frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

For this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned to Holly's blog, Phemomenon. In case you didn't know, she has some of the cutest kids ever. Lucky them, because they get to eat all of her scrumptious creations.

After searching through a ton of recipes on her blog, I finally decided to make her Self-Frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins. After all, I love, love, love pumpkin and it just so happened that I had some Nutella sitting in my pantry too.


Like all pumpkin-y treats, you're going to want to let these cool before you eat them. That way, the pumpkin and spice flavors have a little time to set. Believe me, it's worth the wait.



Now, let me tell you about the Nutella. The idea of putting Nutella onto the top of the muffin is pure genius. The muffins aren't that sweet themselves. But, the Nutella adds just the right amount of sugary, chocolatey goodness that will make you feel like you're having dessert for breakfast, but still eating healthy at the same time. The Nutella swirled muffin tops were so good that I was sorely tempted to make off with the tops alone, you know, just like that Seinfeld episode. I can totally relate.


Thanks Holly for one yummy recipe!

Self-Frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins (adapted from Phemomenon)

1 – 15 oz can pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used melted butter)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

12 heaping teaspoons Nutella for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line or spray a 12-cup muffin pan, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, vanilla and brown sugar. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups evenly (will be about 3/4 full). Scoop a heaping teaspoon of Nutella onto the top of each muffin. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the Nutella slightly around the top of the batter.

Bake the cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.

Notes:

1. Holly added some cocoa powder to her muffins, but I opted to leave it out.
   
2. These muffins tasted best after they had cooled completely. Then, you could really taste the pumpkin and spice flavors.
3. I made half a batch and got 8 muffins.