I might have been able to avoid it thus far, but I feel I should confess that I am very fond of terrible food puns. I hope you will tolerate them and continue to read this post. Today, I’m sharing my beloved recipe for brownies. I’ve guarded this one for a long time, and I think it’s finally time to share it with the world!
Brownies are a classic American treat. Its history, like that of most baked goods, is rather vague and confusing. Some legends attribute the creation of the brownie to the mistaken addition of melted chocolate to a batch of biscuits by a chef, some others to a cook who was making a cake but didn’t add enough flour, and finally some others credit a housewife in Maine who forgot to add baking powder while baking a chocolate cake. The cake didn’t rise, but she still cut and served the flat pieces.
The first recipe for brownies appeared in print in the 1906 edition of ‘The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook’ edited by Fannie Farmer. She adapted her chocolate cookie recipe to be baked in a rectangular pan as a bar cookie.
I’ve often been asked – what is a brownie exactly? Is it a cake? Or should it be considered a cookie? I always figured the brownie deserved its own category: a brownie is, quite simply, a brownie. However, on reading up more on the brownie I have come to discover that it is classified as a bar cookie and not as a cake. This is because brownies are finger food (like cookies) and are not supposed to be eaten with a fork (like cake is).
There are thousands of recipes for brownies – some ‘cakey’ and some ‘fudgy’. Either type is perfectly valid and delightful, although I am more partial to the latter variety: a wonderfully fudgy brownie with a crackly, crunchy top. The crunchy top of a perfectly baked brownie comes from sugar and eggs combining to form a lovely meringue layer on top. So, while I am all for eggless recipes, I believe that brownies need to contain eggs to be called brownies.
This recipe is adapted from one I got from a friend’s mother back in high school. Over the years I made many, many batches and tweaked and refined it to make it my own. Brownies might just be the one item I have baked the most – because I baked two batches, three times a week and supplied them to the canteen in college for a year, where they quickly became a hit. Students of SJCC, if anyone is reading this: Yes, this is that recipe!
When I supplied them to college or sold them at stalls, I would wrap each one individually in plastic wrap for hygiene purposes and to ensure that they’d remain fresh and wouldn’t dry out. Of course, soon I realised that I did not want to generate as much plastic waste and stopped packaging them like that, unless it was specially requested.
I used to make these either with walnuts or with chunks of dark chocolate, depending on what the customer preferred, but recently I have discovered that the perfect batch comprises both! Of course, you can choose to use either one or even opt to include neither. Though why wouldn’t you want chocolate chunks in your brownie?
Microwave these brownies for 10 seconds, and serve with a scoop vanilla ice cream and drizzle with some Nutella, or eat them as they are. Either way, I guarantee that you will be stuffing your face with these!
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE WALNUT BROWNIES
Makes: 16
Equipment: 8” Square Pan
Ingredients:
Flour - 1 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1tsp
Oil - 3/4 cup
Eggs - 4
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsp
Walnuts* - 20g
Chocolate Chunks* - 35g
Method:
Preheat Oven to 180°C.
Sieve flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together into a bowl.
Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in another large bowl.
Add sieved mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time, alternating with oil.
Mix well between additions - start and end with the dry mixture. Mix well.
Pour into baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bang on the counter a couple of times to release air bubbles. Top with walnuts and chocolate chunks.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove pan, poke holes using a toothpick, turn the pan and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
Let cool in the pan, remove and slice into 9 or 16 squares!
*Notes:
Walnuts are optional, but I think they make the brownies absolutely divine. I used to chop them with a knife, but I soon realised that it resulted in a lot of the walnuts disintegrating into a powder. The solution? Break them into chunks by hand! It also helps release the oils for maximum flavour!
You can use store-bought chocolate chips, but I love the rustic look of chopped chunks of chocolate.
Do like and share this recipe, and let me know down in the comments if you try it!
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