Brownies (CS)

By hmp13

These brownies are rick, dense and very chocolate, with an almost fudgy consistency. The better the quality of chocolate you use, the better the brownie. And of course adding chocolate chunks guarantees something quite special.

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 sticks butter, cubed
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour (minus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350. If using a convection oven, set it to 325. Lightly grease a 9 by 12 inch pan, then line the pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking, and grease the paper.

Melt the chocolate, sugar and butter together in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave on high heat. Stir at 1 minute intervals. The total time to melt this mixture will be 2 1/3 to 3 minutes. Or melt the mixture in the stainless steel bowl of a double boiler. Let cool.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract into the warm chocolate mixture.

Sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl. In two stages, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter until combined. Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared pan. Top with a flavoring ingredient, if desired (se Variations).

Bake the brownies for 25 minutes, until the top is cracked and the center is still fudgy. Allow the brownies to cool in the refrigerator overnight and cut into approximately 3 inch squares once cooled. Remove the brownies from the pan and trim the edges.

Variations:
Peanut Butter : Dollop ½ cup softened peanut butter (not natural) over the batter before baking the brownies. Use the tip of a butter knife to go back and forth through the peanut butter and brownie batter, vertically and horizontally, to make a feathered design.

Nuts: Add ½ cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts to the batter.

Chocolate Chunk: add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chunks to the batter.

Peppermint: add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the batter.

Peppermint Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk and ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract. Add 1 ¼ cups icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the baked and cooled brownies.