Mastering Rich and Moist Brownies

May 6, 2024

Mindmap

Class Notes: Cooking with Schokoladigen, Saftigen Brownies

Summary

In today's class, we learned how to make rich, chocolatey, moist brownies from scratch. The focus was on ensuring the brownies are packed with flavor and the right texture, using simple but quality ingredients.

Ingredients

  • Butter: 230 grams
  • Sugar: 300 grams
  • Vanilla Extract: As needed
  • Hot Water: 50 milliliters mixed with 1 teaspoon coffee powder
  • Baking Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
  • Flour: 200 grams
  • Dark Chocolate: 300 grams (recommend using quality dark chocolate for best results)
  • Cocoa Powder: 60 grams
  • Chocolate Chips: About 50 grams
  • Nuts (Hazel Nuts): 200 grams (can be substituted with other nuts or omitted for allergies)

Instructions

Preparing Chocolate Mixture

  1. Melting Butter and Coffee Mixture:

    • Start by melting 230 grams of butter in a pot. Do not let the butter brown.
    • Add the 50ml of hot water mixed with coffee powder to the melted butter. This enhances the chocolate flavor without leaving a strong coffee taste.

  2. Adding Sugar and Chocolate:

    • Incorporate 300 grams of sugar into the butter mixture to dissolve.
    • Roughly chop the dark chocolate and add it to the pot, allowing it to melt completely into the mixture.

Mixing Dry Ingredients

  1. Combining Cocoa and Flour:

    • Transfer the warm chocolate mixture to a large bowl for easier mixing.
    • Mix in the cocoa powder thoroughly.

  2. Incorporating Eggs and Flour:

    • Add eggs one at a time, ensuring each is well blended before adding the next.
    • Gradually mix in the flour until the mixture is smooth.

Adding Extras

  1. Nuts and Chocolate Chips:
    • Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips (or any chosen crunchy ingredient) to the mixture last to maintain their texture.

Baking

  1. Preparing the Pan:
    • Pour the batter into a lined baking pan, preferably 20x30cm in size.
    • Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The center should still be slightly moist (sticky on the skewer test) to ensure the brownies stay moist.

Making the Chocolate Glaze (Optional)

  1. Glaze Ingredients:

    • Cocoa Powder: 20 grams
    • Powdered Sugar: 40 grams
    • Water: 35 milliliters

  2. Preparing and Applying Glaze:

    • Whisk the ingredients until smooth.
    • Pour over the brownies and use a silicone brush to spread evenly.

Cutting and Serving

  • Let the brownies cool completely before cutting into squares.
  • A moist and sticky texture on the skewer indicates that the brownies will be moist.

Conclusion

This recipe is versatile and can be adapted based on personal preferences or dietary restrictions. Substituting ingredients like nuts and switching the type of chocolate (from dark to white or milk chocolate) is encouraged to suit different tastes. The demonstration emphasized the importance of quality ingredients and proper baking time to achieve the best results.