Best Decadent Brownies Ever!

By Eva LeFoy

Happy Saturday dear readers!

It’s summertime and now is good weather for enjoying outdoor patio dinners, so I figured it’s time for a blog hop. Even better, a foodie blog hop. ‘Cause as a foodie author, you know I love to eat! The hop is on now and is called Summer Chillin’.

Buy Sweet Cravings HERE

In my book, Sweet Cravings, out now from Decadent Publishing, the sexy hero is a French-trained pastry chef. Which is a grand profession IMO and makes him all kinds of yummeh. But, I’m not a pastry chef myself by any stretch of the imagination. At home I’m more of a vegetarian fresh foodie. How can I not be? My husband is an avid organic gardener and operates a Farmers Market stall at the Saturday market. So let’s just say I have plenty of fresh veg around. Every single day.

Sometimes though, you gotta have something sweet, and I break down and make brownies. When in need, these are the exact brownies that I make and man, are they decadent!

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen and I bow down to them in my mind every time I make them. And yes, they go fast in my house. We can consume ½ the pan in less than fifteen minutes!

Best Cocoa Brownies

Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet

Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies (see the pics on her site)

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter (I actually use 1 1/4 cups of butter)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (65 grams dark or regular)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional – I never have used them)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (I use wax paper and spray it with oil or they will stick).

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smoothes out once the eggs and flour are added. (I put the whole bowl in the microwave to melt and it works great!)

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 20 to 25 minutes. (I usually go a little longer if not completely set.) Let cool completely on a rack.

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Bon appétit!

Eva

Bio: Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eva-Lefoy/344907072265234 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eva_Lefoy 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6656950.Eva_LeFoy

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Lefoy/e/B00CE0EY0G

Blog: http://writery.wordpress.com/

For more on the Summer Chillin’ Blog Hop which runs June 22-29, go here for a list of participants:

http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=281397