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Better than lazy brownies

ingredients

Brownie:

  • 1 cup (170g) 70% dark chocolate
  • 1 cup (250g) butter (1 full slab, keep the butter wrapper for flouring the baking pan)
  • 0.5 cups (120g) cream
  • ==========================
  • 1.75 cups (350g) light brown sugar
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp instant coffee powder (not 3-in-1 or 2-in-1) (or 2 tbsp = 1 shot espresso)
  • 1 tbsp Horlicks powder
  • 1 cup (120g) cake flour (or plain)
  • 3 large (60g) eggs + 2 yolks (remaining 2 whites optionally used below)
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla essence (up to 1 tsp)
  • (optional add-ins) up to 1 cup of anything, but plain is great too
    • chocolate chips (best choice)
    • Tiny reeses, or peanut butter chips
    • Tiny marshmallows (or dice large ones)
    • Caramel / toffee chunks
    • cocoa powder
    • nuts, toasted in the oven
    • or you could double the initial amount of melted chocolate droplets to 2 cups

OPTIONAL top layer (crust):

  • 2 egg whites
  • 0.5 cup (100g) fine white sugar
  • 0.67 cup (80g) cocoa powder, sifted (WARNING: the Lindt cocoa is unusually hygroscopic, add 0.25 cup first)
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla essence
  • pinch of salt

Topping:

  • Icing sugar (for dusting)
  • Whipped cream (for topping)
  • Chocolate sauce (for topping)
  • Cocoa powder (for dusting)

directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C
  2. If not silicone pan: (eg glass)
    1. Butter pan (use the butter wrapper)
    2. Dust pan with cocoa, not flour
  3. Brown the butter in a saucepan
  4. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave (about 30-60 seconds)
  5. add cream
  6. Mix in blender with all the rest of the ingredients:
    • Brown Sugar
    • Salt
    • Espresso powder
    • Horlicks
    • Flour
    • Eggs & yolks
    • vanilla
  7. if adding nuts or chocolate chip add-ins: stir in by hand
  8. make chocolate meringue:
    • wipe down a large metal bowl with lemon juice / citric acid / whtie vinegar
    • add egg whites and white sugar
    • beat to medium or hard peaks
    • fold in the sifted cocoa and vanilla essence
  9. Bake at 180C for about 10 mins, a bit until top is flat and sort of solid
  10. pour / spread chocolate meringue in a layer over the brownie
  11. bake at 120C for 1-2 hours
  12. OPTIONAL cheesecake layer here (use 1 full recipe of dorie greenspan's cheesecake)
    • you'll end up baking the brownie an extra 1 hr (at 160 C), which is fine

To serve:

  1. plate
  2. microwave
  3. Add Icing dust
  4. Add dollop/quenelle of Whipped cream
  5. Drizzle choc sauce artistically
  6. Sprinkle Cocoa powder
  7. Give a spoon and a napkin

Notes:

  • Try bread flour?
  • if using cocoa powder in place of chocolate:
    • use 80g
    • stir into browned butter
    • add cold cream amd mix in
    • be warned that the brownie's texture will be a bit spongy and dry
    • also it'll taste too eggy, maybe use 4 whole eggs instead of 3 + 2 yolks
  • Large eggs, 55-60g
  • Partial references:
    • https://cafedelites.com/worlds-best-fudgiest-brownies/
    • https://tasty.co/recipe/the-best-fudgy-brownies
    • Lazy brownies