I'm making chocolate brownies

Soldato
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I'm going to make some brownies soon too, will need to be dairy free for the misses though!

Never baked anything so this should be a good place to start! Hope i don't overcook as I prefer gooey rather than cakey brownies
So i've made 2 batches following this recipe with a few changes:

https://theseasidebaker.com/salted-dark-chocolate-chunk-brownies/

I swapped butter for coconut oil so the girlfriend can eat them
Swapped kosher and flake salt for sea salt
and used just normal demerara sugar

They came out good but are more on the cakey side when i prefer gooey/fudgey. I reduced the cooking time by 2mins on the second batch but it didn't make too much difference, so i guess i might need to increase the coconut oil slightly to get this.
 
Soldato
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moving it off now eating

There's some confusion on the words Macaron and Macaroon. As far as I can tell, Macarons are normally the sandwiched ones that look like yoyos like in your link. Macaroons though are like the ones I made. However, this is the recipe I followed (and used google translator for some of it) and it seems they're called Macarons.

She uses poudre d’amande (almond powder) which may well be almond flour. I used ground almonds though. I think it has to do with the fineness and how it affects the texture of what is baked. I think almond flour is ground finer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8eTbOLK41Q

yes, she also suggests blitzed whole almonds - so not flour .. the follow up video making the sandwiched/shiny ones, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcagkOxC_qc
she, just, briefly blitzes 10s (slightly toasted) ground almonds + the sugar ... I need to try a toast for bakewell. 5mins 150c
 
Soldato
OP
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Guys, you have to try this recipe, you won't regret it. It's delicious. I made it last night from the kitchen conundrums channel, with a couple of my own tweaks. I much prefer this to my previous ones, it's sweeter and smoother, no bitterness and I used Bournville chocolate.

20190607-171532.jpg


170g of dark chocolate. (I used 150g Bournville).
113g butter, room temperature.
200g sugar. (Was quite sweet. Maybe try just 150g if you'd prefer less sweetness).
I decided to use half and half, 100g white caster and 100g dark brown. Brown sugar gives more chewiness.
3 eggs
32g cocoa powder.
80g flour
1/4 teaspoon salt.
I also added teaspoon vanilla extract.

Add broken up chocolate and cubes of room temperature butter to large glass bowl over smaller saucepan with simmering water and melt over medium heat while stirring with silicon spatula.
Take off heat, wipe away condensation from under bowl.
Switch to whisk and stir in sugar.
Add eggs one at a time making sure each egg is mixed in well before adding next.
Add cocoa powder.
Add salt and vanilla extract.

Switch back to silicon spatula. Add flour but only gently fold in, don't stir too much.
I added a handful of optional milk choc chips for some crunch.

Pour into square 8 x 8 tin, even out the batter and bake at 180c for about 30 to 40 minutes. I baked for about 37 minutes. It was moist, chewy, perhaps a little cakey. Exactly how I like it. 30 minutes would make it a bit wetter and fudgier.
 
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Soldato
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Sunny Sussex
Guys, you have to try this recipe, you won't regret it. It's delicious. I made it last night from the kitchen conundrums channel, with a couple of my own tweaks. I much prefer this to my previous ones, it's sweeter and smoother, no bitterness and I used Bournville chocolate.

20190607-171532.jpg


170g of dark chocolate. (I used 150g Bournville).
113g butter, room temperature.
200g sugar. (Was quite sweet. Maybe try just 150g if you'd prefer less sweetness).
I decided to use half and half, 100g white caster and 100g dark brown. Brown sugar gives more chewiness.
3 eggs
32g cocoa powder.
80g flour
1/4 teaspoon salt.
I also added teaspoon vanilla extract.

Add broken up chocolate and cubes of room temperature butter to large glass bowl over smaller saucepan with simmering water and melt over medium heat while stirring with silicon spatula.
Take off heat, wipe away condensation from under bowl.
Switch to whisk and stir in sugar.
Add eggs one at a time making sure each egg is mixed in well before adding next.
Add cocoa powder.
Add salt and vanilla extract.

Switch back to silicon spatula. Add flour but only gently fold in, don't stir too much.
I added a handful of optional milk choc chips for some crunch.

Pour into square 8 x 8 tin, even out the batter and bake at 180c for about 30 to 40 minutes. I baked for about 37 minutes. It was moist, chewy, perhaps a little cakey. Exactly how I like it. 30 minutes would make it a bit wetter and fudgier.

Ooooooo I'll give this a go!
 
Don
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Aberdeenshire
Best brownie recipe I've tried (won some BBC competition a few years back).

Ingredients

180g unsalted butter
110g 70% dark chocolate
70g milk chocolate
3 large eggs
270g light muscavado sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
80g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
30g white chocolate (cubed in to bite size pieces)
30g dark chocolate
30g milk chocolate

Dark chocolate and peanut butter ganache

4tbs double cream
150g peanut butter
100g dark chocolate
3tbs icing sugar

Method

1. First chop into bite size pieces the 3 lots of 30g of dark, milk and white chocolate and put in the freezer to chill.

2. Place the unsalted butter in a heavy based pan on a very low heat and melt gently.

3. When melted add the dark and the milk and chocolate and leave until completely melted. Do not stir at this point.

4. While you are waiting for the chocolate to melt, break the eggs into a bowl, and add sugar and vanilla extract.

5. With an electric hand held mixer (or stand mixer) whip together until the mixture has doubled in size and leaves a thick trail. This can take anything up to about 8 minutes depending on the power of the mixer you are using. This will also give the chocolate mixture a chance to cool down.

6. Add the malt extract to the melted chocolate and stir just a few times to combine together. Then very slowly add this to the whisked egg mixture and combine together; trying not to beat out all of the air you have incorporated into the eggs and sugar mix.

7. Add the sifted flour and cocoa powder and turn the mixture over thoroughly with a metal spoon until the flour has been thoroughly mixed into the eggs and chocolate.

8. Remove the chunks of chocolate from the freezer and gently add these to the mixture then pour into your brownie pan.

Prepare to cook

If you are using a specialised removable bottom brownie pan, there will be no need to line or grease the bottom.

If you are using a baking tin then before you line the base with parchment, place two folded strips of heavy duty aluminium foil in a cross shape on the base of the pan and then place the parchment on top. You will then be able to lift the brownie out of the pan by the foil strips when it is cold.

9. Bake the brownie mix in the centre shelf of your oven on Gas mark 4 (190c) for 35 minutes. Give the tin a slight shake and if the mixture does not wobble then your brownie is done.

10. Remove from the oven and wait until completely cold before icing and cutting.

11. In a metallic bowl place the double cream and the peanut butter and sit over the top of a saucepan of slow simmering water, making sure that no steam comes in contact with the mixture. When the mixture has melted, add in the chocolate and icing sugar and leave in the pan until all the mixture is well melted.

12. Stir gently so that all the ingredients come together and while still warm spread over the cold brownie. With the Tyne's of a fork run over the top to make a ridged design then leave until set before removing from the pan. Cut into triangular portions and top off the brownies with a whole pecan nut.
 
Soldato
Joined
13 Oct 2008
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Location
SE London Born and Bred
This is the recipe I use.

Ingredients

about 200g plain flour

about 200g golden unrefined caster sugar about 100g cocoa

400g dark (55% min cocoa solids)

200g milk choc

200g white choc

300g cadburys dairy milk- whole nut

4 bars of bounty

1 box daim mikaido

120g glace cherry halves

about 12ml vanilla extract

about 200g butter- unsalted

3 or 4 eggs


Method

Flour, sugar and cocoa all mixed in a bowl till it is a consistent mix


Chop up 200g of milk and 100g of white chocolate to mix in with the flour this is where you add anything else ie like the bounty I added into it too. Basically about 400grams of different mixed choc bits. Marshmallows are also good.


Melt butter in a saucepan on v low heat and add 400g of dark chocolate and melt then add vanilla and cherries (chopped up).

clip_image002.jpg


Then pour this mix into the flour mix and mix up, then add 3 or 4 eggs, l used 4 in this scenario.

The mixture is quite stiff, spread into a 8” x 12” or so tin to about an inch deep.

Cook on gas mark 6/200c for about 25-35mins on middle shelf, cook longer for more firmness or less for more gooey.

Once cooked leave to cool for about an hour

I then melt dairy milk and spread for topping and chop up anything else I want for topping and sprinkle and then chuck it in the fridge to set!


Chop into inch square pieces.


This is unlike any brownie you will have had before.
 
Soldato
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21,778
maybe you're not eating therm because of their advertised paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free characteristics, but,
after reminding myself what paleo meant, I was surprised that coconut flour/oil even dutch chocolate qualified.
 
Soldato
OP
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17,790
Location
Finchley, London
Haven't made any for 3 months so more brownies incoming. The last lot were awesome with Bournville chocolate and bog standard Tesco cocoa powder, but this time I'm using Bournville Dutch processed cocoa as well which should make them..... even MORE awesome. :)


20190903-181304.jpg


Ooh yea..

20190903-213858.jpg

20190904-020811.jpg
 
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Soldato
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...ok you edited the thread - was going to ask if you'd left them in the oven.
warm with icecream for just one ? .. or that's the money/masterchef shot for us. (hadn't even realised the new series had started or gbbo)

Do you have a slave who washes up the dishes from the measured out quantities ;) I now put the mixing bowl on the scales and add the butter and sugar in, directly.
 
Soldato
OP
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I'm the slave and Masterchef, all rolled into one. :p

Yeah I always seem to end up with dozens of ingredient bowls but I washed everything up while the brownies were baking, didn't take long. Nope, didn't leave them in the oven, they were cold and during a commercial break between watching kiss of the vampire I went and grabbed some brownies and ice cream.

They're just right, baked for only 25 minutes, not too gooey but moist and chewy.
 
Soldato
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5 Mar 2010
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12,305
Was going to reply to one of your earlier posts about the brownies tasting a bit bitter then realised it was from many months ago.

I had a brownie at a posh restaurant the other night and that had rather a bitter taste to it, i think brownies are one of those things where vanilla ice cream is a must, to counter the bitterness.
 
Soldato
OP
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Yeah, the ones I make now aren't bitter since using Bournville. I've not tried making any with more expensive 70% dark chocolate, perhaps they would be a little bitter. But the first ones I ever made several months I used cheapo chocolate which imparted a pretty nasty bitter taste.
 
Associate
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13 Feb 2010
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604
Location
Bournemouth
I've tried loads of recipes for brownies and have never been completely satisfied, but I may have just found the ultimate recipe!

Its flakey, cakey and fudgy all at once.

225g butter
300g plain / dark choc
1 c white sugar
1 c light brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp espresso or coffee powder, or kahlua*
1 TB vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour

In a large, microwaveable bowl, put the butter and chocolate chips. Microwave on medium-high heat until melted, stirring frequently so the chocolate doesn't burn. When completely melted, add the sugars to the bowl, and whisk in. Microwave for another 30-45 seconds, stirring in between (melting more sugar into the mixture is what gets the flaky top).

Stir the cocoa powder into the mixture. One at a time, slowly whisk in the eggs, and then stir in the vanilla and espresso powder. Add the flour on top of the batter, followed by the salt and baking powder, and whisk everything in until smooth. The batter will be really thick.

Cook for 30 mins at 350*F / 180*C or 160*C fan

Apologies for the mixup between measurements.
 
Soldato
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21,778
with the earlier cadburys adverts ... not sure it will be any good for cooking, but

Channel 5 programme on the (apparently) new 30% sugar reduced dairy milk bar ... but calories remain the same ... what's the point ?
I must have missed the tv advertisements. ......
INGREDIENTS
MILK, sugar, soluble maize fibre, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, vegetable fats (palm, shea), MILK fat, skimmed MILK powder, emulsifier (E442), flavourings.
they said, they have added fibre, to compensate for lost sugar.

Interesting to see the egg production line, would like to try a white egg ... also, exclusively femail tasting team for new chocolate.?
 
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