Recipe ~ Italian Espresso Chocolate Brownies
I’ve been thinking of making these brownies ever since I saw them on a fellow foodie’s blog, Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.
The recipe was originally created by Tyler Florence (isn’t he handsome?) for Amaretto chocolate brownies but with no Amaretto around, she used strong espresso coffee. I liked that idea too and introduce you to her adaptation of the original recipe with the new one.
Here’s a great recipe for Italian espresso chocolate brownies.
Melt the chocolate and butter using a double boiler. I have a makeshift one with a pan over pan method. I recently discovered that my mini crockpot works well for melting chocolate but with the two sticks of butter and the chocolate, it would have been too small to use.
In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and espresso coffee. Because we have an espresso machine, I used 2 tablespoons of an espresso shot that you see in the smaller bowl. You could probably use your regular coffee if you don’t use instant but make the strongest and bold coffee that you can for this. Whisk them all together.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Now you should have three bowls plus your walnuts. You are going to mix everything in steps into your bowl that started with eggs so make sure this is your largest bowl to handle all the ingredients. Add chocolate mixture to your large bowl of egg mixture and whisk to combine. Then gradually add in the flour mixture adding it in stages. Lastly, add in the walnuts and combine using a wooden spoon.
Once it is well mixed, it’s ready for your pan. My pans are larger and I didn’t have a 9″x9″ pan. I had a corning dish that eyeing it thought it was the same size. NOT! I highly recommend sticking to a 9×9 square pan and here’s why.
After the 45 minutes, I checked the brownies and they were still uncooked in the middle. Later when I DID measure the pan, it was 8″x8″ and with rounded corners was much smaller than it should have been for this recipe. I had to keep the brownies in longer and they turned out much higher. It would have been better to keep them denser with a larger pan. Lesson learned!
Given how fast these chocolate brownies disappeared, there didn’t appear to be a problem with their taste. They were very chocolaty but you really didn’t taste the espresso. I imagine they have a richer chocolate taste with the addition of the coffee. The walnuts were great with their added crunch combined with the moist rich chocolate. It’s hard to eat just one square!
I love brownies with walnuts but do prefer them denser and more chewy like Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice’s turned out. She also added cocoa whipped cream to add to their decadence which is a nice touch. I’m going out to buy a 9×9 pan so look out for more decadent brownie recipes in future. Anyone have a special brownie recipe that they recommend?
Here’s the full recipe:
Italian Espresso Chocolate Brownies
Italian Espresso Chocolate Brownies
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon Instant Italian Espresso dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water or 2 tablespoons Amaretto (or 2 tablespoons of a strong espresso shot)
1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon Instant Italian Espresso dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water or 2 tablespoons Amaretto (or 2 tablespoons of a strong espresso shot)
1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 9 by 9 square baking pan with parchment paper, making sure paper hangs over the edges. Grease paper with butter so the brownies don’t stick. Melt butter and chocolate over a double-boiler and stir gently until smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Line a 9 by 9 square baking pan with parchment paper, making sure paper hangs over the edges. Grease paper with butter so the brownies don’t stick. Melt butter and chocolate over a double-boiler and stir gently until smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk together eggs, sugar and Espresso in a mixing bowl until combined. Pour in chocolate mixture and continue to whisk until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, then add walnuts and incorporate with a wooden spoon.
Transfer batter to baking pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the pan. When done, invert onto a cutting board, remove paper and cut into squares.
Fonte/source : http://www.8chocolate.com/2009/03/05/recipe-italian-espresso-chocolate-brownies/
*-------*******-------*******-------*******-------*
Caramel Brownies
Sometimes I feel that simply the name of a recipe and the photo of said dish are really all you need to know. This is one of those times. If the combination of caramel and brownies isn’t enough to get your attention, you may have wandered onto this blog by mistake. A couple of weeks ago I was having a rough time of it. I’ll spare you any details but suffice it to say, it was one of those times when an ooey gooey chocolate dessert was in order. These have been on my “to try” list for over a year and they were the first thing my mind jumped to when pondering the appropriate dessert therapy. I didn’t want to run to the store and by some wonderful turn of fate, I had every single ingredient on hand. Not only that but this recipe used up the half bag of store bought caramels sitting in the pantry. (I also ended up using some of the homemade caramels I had left over from the holidays and for the record, they still taste awesome.)
Normally I never, ever make a half batch of brownies. It just seems like a bad idea. But that is what my pantry was able to provide this time so that is what I did. I made them in an 8×8-inch pan and it worked perfectly, no change in the baking times or anything. Now, the original recipe calls for pecans to be added to the top layer of brownies but if you are a regular reader you already know my thoughts on adding nuts to an already perfect chocolate dessert. I have still included the pecans in the version below though because I actually think they would be okay here – kind of a turtle brownie concept. Whichever way you choose to make them, please do make them. I know you’ll love them.
Yield: 24+ brownies
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups pecan, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups pecan, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the caramel filling:
14 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream
14 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil well with butter or cooking spray. Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. (Alternatively, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.) Remove the bowl from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, maintaining the oven temperature, and let cool for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil well with butter or cooking spray. Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. (Alternatively, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.) Remove the bowl from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, maintaining the oven temperature, and let cool for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the chopped pecans (if using) to a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside. To make the caramel filling, combine the caramel candies and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Stir in half of the pecans. Immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer, taking care to pour and spread it evenly otherwise it will be difficult to spread evenly over the caramel layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining pecans on top of the final brownie layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. (To speed cooling, chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.)
Lift the brownies from the pan using the edges of the foil. Remove the foil and cut the brownies into individual squares. Store in an airtight container.
Blog : http://annies-eats.net/2011/04/15/caramel-brownies/
Source: slightly adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather
*-------*******-------*******-------*******-------*
Also known as the Clinker Slice in Australia – I stumbled across this recipe when a wonderful co-worker at my “day-job” (hi Sharon!) brought some in to share Christmas week. Extremely easy, moreish and versatile recipe – one which calls for Clinkers (which appear to be a very Aussie or New Zealand thing) – but are easily substituted for Maltesers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Sticks, Chomp, Peppermint Crisp or any other chocolate-coated crunchy confectionary.
Ingredients
- 180g of chocolate-coated crunchy confectionary (such as Clinkers or Maltesers)
- 250g of plain, dry vanilla biscuits (Malt o Milk for the Aussies)
- 200g sweetened condensed milk
- 125g unsalted butter
- 250g milk chocolate
Method
Line a 17cm by 27cm tray.
Crush the confectionary and the biscuits in a food processor – they should look like crumbs with a few chunky bits mixed in.
Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over a low heat until the butter melts and the mixture combines.
Spread the slice mix into the tray and then place into fridge to set.
Melt the milk chocolate and then pour evenly over the slice. Once the chocolate has set, cut into portions – ready to eat!
Fonte / Source CHOCOLATE BLOG : http://www.chocablog.com/recipes/chocolate-surprise-slice/
*---------*******-------*******-------*******-------*******-------*
VINHO E CHOCOLATE UMA COMBINAÇÃO A SER DESCOBERTA
Supermercados e lojas decoradas com ovos de chocolate até o teto. Indícios que a Páscoa está chegando, e mesmo que voce não seja um chocólatra é difícil passar incólume à enxurrada de ofertas. Porém, como a proposta do QVinho é sair do lugar comum, não vou falar dos lançamentos da indústria; dos chocolates orgânicos, diet, afrodisíacos etc; dos diversos tamanhos e formatos que disputam uma menção no Guinness Book; tampouco das esdrúxulas misturas e sabores (deixemos a perfumaria para o Jornal Nacional ou com o Zeca Carmargo no Fantástico). Minha dica é simples, mas muito saborosa: unir o chocolate com o vinho. Sim, quem disse que eles não combinam? Esse é mais um falso mito que deixou o vinho relegado ao seu altar sagrado e distante do nosso dia-a-dia.
Sempre ouvimos dizer que a harmonização de vinhos com doces, em especial chocolates, não é uma tarefa muito fácil. De fato, o cacau, a gordura e o açúcar, acabam se sobrepondo a maioria dos vinhos. E, não é para menos, quando falamos de chocolate, logo imaginamos aquelas barras ou bombons insuportavelmente doces e enjoativos. Difícil combinar com alguma coisa, não é mesmo? Entretanto, existem alguns segredinhos que podem tornar essa união uma prazerosa experiência. Em primeiro lugar, não estamos falando de qualquer chocolate. Aqui a escolha deve ser por um bom chocolate meio-amargo ou “Dark”, com maiores percentuais de cacau sólido na massa. Em segundo lugar, não é qualquer vinho. Pois bem, como a maioria de nós terá dificuldades para encontrar chocolates clássicos como a Amedei, a Scharffer Berger e a Pralus, vamos a nossa realidade. Com o objetivo de facilitar as coisas selecionei algumas combinações que particularmente me agradam muito.
De início recomendo as barras tradicionais de Lindt Excellence 70% Cacau (R$ 9,90) e Hershey´s Especial Dark 60% (R$ 7), acompanhadas por um bom e frutado Pinot Noir. Não precisa ser um borgonha caríssimo ou coisas do gênero, já tive boas experiências com um Salentein Pinot Noir Roble 2003 (R$ 72) e, recentemente, com um La Célia Reserva Pinot Noir 2005 (R$ 32). Uma feliz e deliciosa combinação com este aromático Pinot Noir do Valle de Uco. Seu bouquet de boa intensidade com predominância de frutas vermelhas como framboesa e morango, acompanhadas por notas florais e couro; casaram muito bem com o cacau. Nesse vinho o aroma de baunilha estava bem sutil, e na boca, apesar de ser um pinot leve, mostrou taninos de qualidade e alta acidez (bem acima da média de outros argentinos); contudo essa acidez foi perfeita para acompanhar o chocolate. Quem quiser gastar um pouco mais vale a pena provar o 1848 Noir – 76% cacau de Victor-Auguste Poulain (R$ 17), muito aromático, com uma textura delicada e saborosa. Tente combinar com um acessível Etchart Privado Malbec 2006 (R$ 17) de Salta e veja o resultado!
Já para os chocolates “dark” de 80% ou mais de cacau, a maioria dos Pinots começa a “apanhar”. A alternativa é recorrer a vinhos fortificados. Sugiro uma barra de Lindt 85% Extra Fine com um Porto Ferreira Dona Antônia (R$ 72) ou um Quinta do Crasto LBV 1998 (R$ 92). Caso o preço seja um problema, não tem desculpa, um Porto Messias Ruby (R$ 34) cumpre bem o papel. Outra combinação que gosto de fazer com esses chocolates é acompanhar, por exemplo, com uma agradável Grappa de Moscato da Aurora (R$25). Também fica ótimo com uma potente e complexa Grappa di Barolo, de Grinzane Cavour, produzida pela Azienda Vinícola Pelissero (uma pena que esteja acabando). Quem aprecia Armagnac e Cognac vai a dica de um VSOP da Courvoisier (R$ 169).Em relação as trufas de chocolate vale a clássica e deliciosa combinação com um espumante Asti de qualidade, talvez um Martini & Rossi Asti (R$ 45). Dentre os nacionais existem boas opções a base de Moscatel. Procure algum que tenha uma acidez mais elevada, caso contrário o doce sem contraponto da acidez fica muito sem graça.
Como os benefícios à saude do consumo moderado do vinho já foram amplamente propagados, o dos chocolates dark começam a ganhar força. Além dos flavonóides que atuam como antioxidantes, o cacau presente no chocolate contém alcalóides como a Teobromina e a Feniletilamina que estão ligados a elevação dos níveis de serotonina no cérebro, ou seja, com efeitos estimulantes e anti-depressivos elas contribuem com a sensação de bem estar. Ora, não faltam bons motivos para consumir mais vinho e chocolate. E o melhor de tudo, sem aquela sensação de peso na consciência.
FONTE: QVinho.com.br - http://www.qvinho.com.br/gastronomia/combinacao-vinhos-chocolate/
