Decontructing Brownies

[Shantytownbrown]

I made a batch of Cooks Illustrated "Chewy Brownies" last night; I have made them before, and they usually are quite fudgy and dense, but this time, total fail. They did not cook in the alloted time (my oven was just calibrated); I always take them out early, but this time, the middle never cooked.

It made me look at Brownie recipies, from my Grandmother's hand written (she could make them from memory) one to Alton Brown's, the Cook's Illustrated and their sister show America's test kitchen. It amazed me how different the chocolate/cocoa and fat ratios were from one to another. I out them in a chart to compare. What ratios work best for you, what cooking time? are you a cakey, chewey or dense brownie fan. share your "formula"; nuts? no nuts? chocolate chunks? etc

do you use brown sugar? melted butter? solid and cream w/ sugar? leavening? I know the science all makes a difference.

here's the chart:--discuss!

alton atk ci grammie flour 1/2 c 1 1/4 c (5oz cake) 1 3/4c (8.75oz) scant cup sugar 1c 2 1/4 c (15.75 oz) 2 1/2 c (17.5 oz) 1 cup brown sugar 1c egg 4 4 2 and 2 yolks 2 eggs butter 8oz-melted 6 oz (12 tb or 1.5 sticks) 2 oz (4 tb or 1/2 stick) 4 oz (8 tb or 1 stick) oil 5 oz (1/2 c plus 2 tb) choc-us 6 oz chopped 2oz 2 oz cocoa pwd 1 1/4c 1/3c baking pwd 3/4 tsp vanilla 2 tsp 1 tb 2 tsp 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp kosher 1/2 tsp table 3/4 tsp water 1/2c + 2 tbl nuts (optional) 1 cup 1/2-3/4c

 

[coyotewhisper]

In looking over the recipes I noticed only one called for baking powder, I find it odd that it is missing from the other recipes. I personally would not use brown sugar. I would opt for the butter/marg instead of the oil.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

In looking over the recipes I noticed only one called for baking powder, I find it odd that it is missing from the other recipes. I personally would not use brown sugar. I would opt for the butter/marg instead of the oil.

yes, good observation, I noted that too, only one with leavening, I imagine that makes those more cakey. I havent made that one in some time so I don't recall how they came out. My grandmothers were quite dense but retained a slight cake crumb and much more cocoa flavor than chocolate.

One thing I found odd was the low flour in Alton's recipe and the large amount of cocoa powder. I gues that explains the significant amount more fat in his than the others. Athought the C/I has both unsweetened chocolate and cocoa AND a lot of fats. They (C/I) claim this is the ratio found in the most popular box mix and explains their chewiness...I dont buy it

 

[PeteB]

I like them still a little uncooked in the middle. Medium rare, so to speak.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

I like them still a little uncooked in the middle. Medium rare, so to speak.

these were rare!!

 

[Intrigued]

This is my favorite brownie recipe ~ Disgustingly Rich Brownies from this cook book....

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

 

[Shantytownbrown]

This is my favorite brownie recipe ~ Disgustingly Rich Brownies from this cook book....

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

what pan size and what temp and cook time

comparing this to above, it seems these recipes don't vary too too much...i think i may have to experiment a bit.
also is this melted butter/muffin method or solid butter/creaming method?

 

[Intrigued]

what pan size and what temp and cook time

comparing this to above, it seems these recipes don't vary too too much...i think i may have to experiment a bit.
also is this melted butter/muffin method or solid butter/creaming method?

Bake at 350 degree in an 8 or 9 inch square pan (you can also use a larger pan if you like a thiner brownies) for 40 - 50 min.

.. melt the butter

Here are some links to the full recipe (each seems to throw their own spin at it)...

http://www.food.com/recipe/disgustingly-rich-brownies-409742

http://www.familycookbookproject.com/recipe/2914946/kidscooking-disgustingly-rich-brownies.html

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/tv69n85s/disgustingly-rich-brownies.html

https://adorablycaffeinated.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/disgustingly-rich-brownies/


Tips: Use real butter (not margarine), use a premium cocoa, use real vanilla extract (not imitation)

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Tips: Use real butter (not margarine), use a premium cocoa, use real vanilla extract (not imitation)

Always!

thanks for the links

I am wondering if my cocoa (a good one) was old and rancid, think I need to toss and buy more/fresh; besides being underdone, mine tasted off, but there is not much fat in the cocoa powder, right? can it go "off"?

 

[mretzloff]

Interesting thread. I have a recipe from my mother that I enjoy very much. The only problem is that every always says the brownies taste like mint, but there is no mint in them. I will post the recipe last on.

 

[jzuzphreek]

What a great thread! I wasn't craving brownies before I read it.... now I am... and so many recipes!

 

[Intrigued]

Always!

thanks for the links

I am wondering if my cocoa (a good one) was old and rancid, think I need to toss and buy more/fresh; besides being underdone, mine tasted off, but there is not much fat in the cocoa powder, right? can it go "off"?

I don't know if cocoa powder can go bad with age but I have some that is really, really old so I decided to take one for the team and bake up a batch of brownies.

 

[Intrigued]

You'll have to take my word for it.... they taste just fine.

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

Holy smokes - those look terrific.

Incidentally - on two recent boxes of brownie mix I made with my family, they had the original recipe covered up with a sticker with another recipe. I pealed off the recipe - the original was "more butter & "more egg". I wonder which version tastes better!

Slightly off topic but maybe in the ballpark - I think these box brands are always finding that 10% they can shim off and do so at a rate that the consumer won't notice. I don't know if that different recipe was for health reasons or to compensate for a change in the ingredients. It's hard to trust even the tried and true brands anymore. Excuse the ranting.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

You'll have to take my word for it.... they taste just fine.

oh..I believe you!

thanks for doing that, I know that must have pained you!! lol

 

[oc_in_fw]

I deconstruct brownies- in my belly

 

[macleod319]

I love brownies. They're my favorite dessert, with or without ice cream on top, warm or cold, anytime. I can't walk past a plate of brownies without having one. I've come to really like two different recipes. We call them "East Coast" and "West Coast" brownies, because the recipes come from King Arthur Flour (Vermont) and Ghiradelli Chocolate (California). I'll post the ingredient list and steps, but I've found a couple different steps along the way really help things along.

For repeat-ability, I weigh as many ingredients out as I can. It helps when I'm first learning a new; or tweaking a recipe I already like. I have a few measurements I've memorized (can't remember where I got them)

1 cup flour - 5 oz
1 cup sugar - 7 oz
1 cup chocolate chips - 6 oz

Any other ingredient I try to use the Nutrition Info for weights and convert with a calculator. It helps to have a scale the you can switch between US and Metric values, that way you don't have to keep going to the 1 oz = 28.35g step.

For the assembly - Melt the butter and sugar together (first found in the King Arthur step list). I've come to do this with both versions because it helps the final surface texture become that shiny, crackly outer crust - almost like a skin - without over-baking them. Incorporate the eggs one at a time - This helps you gauge how well the eggs are incorporated, since the part after adding the eggs will be almost like syrup in texture. No streaks from the whites, no gooey bits from the yolk.

Alright, here's the two different ingredient lists for comparison:

	West Coast	East Coast
Flour	2/3 C AP Flour	1 1/2 C White Whole Wheat
Sugar	3/4 C	2 C Light Brown
Eggs	2	4
Butter	1/2 C (4 oz) melted	1 C (8 oz) softened
Vanilla Extract	1 tsp	1 Tbsp
Baking Powder	1/4 tsp	1 tsp
Cocoa	3/4 C	3/4 C
Salt	1/4 tsp	1 tsp
Espresso Powder (Optional, but tasty)	Up to 1/4 tsp*	up to 1 tsp (I like 1/2 tsp)
Walnuts/Chips (Bittersweet)	1/2 C (optional) / 1 C (optional)**	1 C (optional)/ 2 C (recommended)
Servings (recommended/ours)	16-20/9-12	24/18

*It was originally an ingredient in the East Coast, but I feel it works in both. If I feel like it, I'll add the espresso powder to both West/East Coast. If the wife is requesting brownies, no espresso powder. She's not a fan, although she has acknowledged it does accentuate the chocolate taste a little better. It's an acquired taste.

**Chips were not an original ingredientin the West Coast version, but if they're in the cabinet, why not? Adds a couple minutes to the baking time.

West coast assembly (found on the side of an older "Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa" tin we saved):

-Preheat oven to 350*F
-Combine eggs with sugar and vanilla; add butter
-Separately, sift cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder
-Combine wet and dry ingredients fully
-Fold in nuts/chips
-Add to 8-inch square (thicker, "fudge-ier") or 9-inch square (original, "cake-ier") pan prepared to your liking (I have the USA Pans, so I rarely need added grease for sticking) and bake 20-30 minutes. Use a toothpick and bake until it comes out ALMOST clean. Moist, maybe a little brown tint to the toothpick, but not soaking wet/covered with batter. If you're using chips, BE CAREFUL to measure the batter and not a chip with the toothpick; otherwise you'll bake them until they catch fire.

East coast assembly (Found at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/tasting-is-believing-whole-grain-brownies-recipe with a video that has a couple of the tips I described above. I was thrilled when I saw them, becuase it was the first time I'd heard the same things from someone that gets paid to do it. I just found out through trial and error):

-Preheat oven to 350*F
-Combine butter and sugar in saucepan/double boiler and dissolve sugar. If you don't feel like it, at least melt the butter and mix with the sugar while it's still hot.
-In a bowl, mix you cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and the butter/sugar.
-Add eggs and incorporate (one at a time, fully).
-Add flour and chips, stirring until smooth.
-Add batter to 9x13 dish prepared to your liking (I have the USA Pans, so I rarely need added grease for sticking) and bake for 28-32 minutes, using the toothpick method above.
-THE HARD PART: After pulling the brownies out of the oven and letting them cool a bit, clingfilm the top of the pan and leave them alone until tomorrow. According to KAF, it helps the "whole wheat" become less "wheaty" by letting the bran incorporate fully and softening until you wouldn't know it was whole wheat. Experiment at your own risk/reward.

Did I mention I love brownies? And cooking.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Jeremey

Wow, thanks for the wonderful addition to this thread, you have me intrigued! interesting to see the fat/ sugar ratio differences in these; the west coast ones resume;e mostly my grandmothers, tho again hers had no leavening.

given that only 1/3 of these recipes we all have listed have leavening (baking powder) have you ever tried your recipes without? Just curious what would happen.

 

[global_dev]

I love brownies. They're my favorite dessert, with or without ice cream on top, warm or cold, anytime. I can't walk past a plate of brownies without having one. I've come to really like two different recipes. We call them "East Coast" and "West Coast" brownies, because the recipes come from King Arthur Flour (Vermont) and Ghiradelli Chocolate (California). I'll post the ingredient list and steps, but I've found a couple different steps along the way really help things along.

For repeat-ability, I weigh as many ingredients out as I can. It helps when I'm first learning a new; or tweaking a recipe I already like. I have a few measurements I've memorized (can't remember where I got them)

1 cup flour - 5 oz
1 cup sugar - 7 oz
1 cup chocolate chips - 6 oz

Any other ingredient I try to use the Nutrition Info for weights and convert with a calculator. It helps to have a scale the you can switch between US and Metric values, that way you don't have to keep going to the 1 oz = 28.35g step.

For the assembly - Melt the butter and sugar together (first found in the King Arthur step list). I've come to do this with both versions because it helps the final surface texture become that shiny, crackly outer crust - almost like a skin - without over-baking them. Incorporate the eggs one at a time - This helps you gauge how well the eggs are incorporated, since the part after adding the eggs will be almost like syrup in texture. No streaks from the whites, no gooey bits from the yolk.

Alright, here's the two different ingredient lists for comparison:

	West Coast	East Coast
Flour	2/3 C	1 1/2 C
Sugar	3/4 C	2 C Light Brown
Eggs	2	4
Butter	1/2 C (4 oz) melted	1 C (8 oz) softened
Vanilla Extract	1 tsp	1 Tbsp
Baking Powder	1/4 tsp	1 tsp
Cocoa	3/4 C	3/4 C
Salt	1/4 tsp	1 tsp
Espresso Powder (Optional, but tasty)	Up to 1/4 tsp*	up to 1 tsp (I like 1/2 tsp)
Walnuts/Chips (Bittersweet)	1/2 C (optional) / 1 C (optional)**	1 C (optional)/ 2 C (recommended)
Servings (recommended/ours)	16-20/9-12	24/18

*It was originally an ingredient in the East Coast, but I feel it works in both. If I feel like it, I'll add the espresso powder to both West/East Coast. If the wife is requesting brownies, no espresso powder. She's not a fan, although she has acknowledged it does accentuate the chocolate taste a little better. It's an acquired taste.

**Chips were not an original ingredientin the West Coast version, but if they're in the cabinet, why not? Adds a couple minutes to the baking time.

West coast assembly (found on the side of an older "Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa" tin we saved):

-Preheat oven to 350*F
-Combine eggs with sugar and vanilla; add butter
-Separately, sift cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder
-Combine wet and dry ingredients fully
-Fold in nuts/chips
-Add to 8-inch square (thicker, "fudge-ier") or 9-inch square (original, "cake-ier") pan prepared to your liking (I have the USA Pans, so I rarely need added grease for sticking) and bake 20-30 minutes. Use a toothpick and bake until it comes out ALMOST clean. Moist, maybe a little brown tint to the toothpick, but not soaking wet/covered with batter. If you're using chips, BE CAREFUL to measure the batter and not a chip with the toothpick; otherwise you'll bake them until they catch fire.

East coast assembly (Found at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/tasting-is-believing-whole-grain-brownies-recipe with a video that has a couple of the tips I described above. I was thrilled when I saw them, becuase it was the first time I'd heard the same things from someone that gets paid to do it. I just found out through trial and error):

-Preheat oven to 350*F
-Combine butter and sugar in saucepan/double boiler and dissolve sugar. If you don't feel like it, at least melt the butter and mix with the sugar while it's still hot.
-In a bowl, mix you cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and the butter/sugar.
-Add eggs and incorporate (one at a time, fully).
-Add flour and chips, stirring until smooth.
-Add batter to 9x13 dish prepared to your liking (I have the USA Pans, so I rarely need added grease for sticking) and bake for 28-32 minutes, using the toothpick method above.
-THE HARD PART: After pulling the brownies out of the oven and letting them cool a bit, clingfilm the top of the pan and leave them alone until tomorrow. According to KAF, it helps the "whole wheat" become less "wheaty" by letting the bran incorporate fully and softening until you wouldn't know it was whole wheat. Experiment at your own risk/reward.

Did I mention I love brownies? And cooking.

Other than the cacao powder, they look pretty much the same relative to ingredient proportion. No? Even seen in the servings

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Other than the cacao powder, they look pretty much the same relative to ingredient proportion. No? Even seen in the servings

I think one will be more cake-y due to the larger amount of leavening; there will be some difference too with the brown sugar, i think this adds a bit more "chewy-ness" if I remember correct; also if you dont melt the butter in the east coast one, and cream it, it will change the consistency as well, tho he doesnt do that in his instructions.