From Denny: Who doesn't love brownies? If more people fought wars with brownies instead of bullets there would be no squabbles worth fighting! :)
Here's a recipe I ran across in our local newspaper when they were doing a cookbook review on a Food and Wine cookbook that features the best recipes from many recently published cookbooks. This recipe really loads you up on chocolate: semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, mini-chocolate chips and then toffee chips. Whew! A serious download of chocolate and intense flavor. Sounds like pure Heaven.
Remember to stick with unsalted butter as the chocolate chips already have some salt in them - and eggs have natural salt in them too. Trust the recipe; you don't need to add any more salt.
There's also a link to my Amazon store where you can purchase the book at a discounted rate. Never pay retail is my motto! :)
From: “The Art and Soul of Baking” by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
From Amazon review:
2009 IACP Cookbook Awards Winner! Nominated for a 2009 James Beard Foundation Award.
Sur La Table teamed with pastry chef and baking teacher Cindy Mushet to bring you the ultimate guide to baking. Beautiful photographs and more than 250 easy-to-follow recipes lead you into a world of alluring aromas and light, flaky pastries. Illustrated asides take you step by step through important techniques, from carmelizing sugar to working with croissant dough. Plus, you'll find invaluable information on over 100 ingredients and 50 baker's tools. A true pleasure for anyone who loves to bake.
Each selection of the Gourmet Cookbook Club is handpicked and road-tested by the editors of Gourmet magazine, so readers can cook with confidence, knowing the recipes really do deliver. Online at Gourmet Book Club you can find videos of the authors demonstrating recipes, share your thoughts on the cookbooks in the forums, and learn more about each book's topic.
BENEFITS:
* The ultimate book for bakers.
* Professional tips and tricks are made easy for the home baker.
* Step-by-step techniques of baking.
* 100 photographs, 250 foolproof recipes and variations, and information on over 100 popular baking ingredients and over 50 pieces of baking equipment.
Check out this recipe from the cookbook:
Triple Chocolate-Toffee Brownies
Ingredients:
6 ozs. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ozs. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick (4 ozs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
1 cup toffee bits
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to hang over the edges.
2. In a medium glass bowl, microwave semisweet and un-sweetened chocolates at high power in 30-second intervals until melted, about 2 minutes. In small bowl, whisk flour with baking powder and salt.
3. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Beat in the milk and vanilla at low speed. Beat in the flour mixture, then beat in 2/3 of the toffee bits and the minichocolate chips until evenly distributed.
4. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of the toffee bits. Bake the brownies for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
5. Set brownies on a rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting. Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownie out of the pan; cut into squares and serve.
Make ahead: Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Authors’ note: Toffee bits are available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets, but you can also crush up a toffee bar for this recipe (even a chocolate-covered one will work.)
*** For more chocolate recipes like this please visit Romancing The Chocolate!
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