Brownies: The Triple Threat

Deciding what dessert to feature as my first blog entry was a lot more difficult than I thought. As I scanned cookbook after cookbook, webpage after webpage, I just couldn’t come to a conclusion. There were too many options. It was like opening a menu that could be mistaken for a novel; it was a long and grueling process. Should the dessert be simple or complex? Classic or innovative? I was indecisive to say the least. But when all else fails, ask a friend. As I was describing my new blog to my good friend Andrew, who just so happens to be the pickiest person I know, I asked him what his all-time favorite dessert was. He proudly replied “a brownie sundae”. You might think, “oh that’s so boring” or “typical”, but I viewed it from a very different perspective. A brownie, although it is fairly simple, is a blank canvas. It is one of the few desserts that one could describe as malleable; it can always be adapted and changed. You could add nuts, chocolate chips, peppermint, frosting, caramel the list goes on. Thus, a brownie was the perfect dessert.

There are three main categories for brownies: chewy, fudgy or cakey. Due to personal preference, I decided to make a chewy brownie. It’s soft and moist but not overly chocolaty, an ideal combination. My mom, being an avid cook, found an old Fine Cooking magazine that she had bought at the airport a few months ago (part of the usual routine). The issue was solely based on Chocolate. As I flipped through the mouth-watering pages, I came across a section devoted to brownies. There were recipes for all types of brownies, including chewy. The comparison format, as well as the irresistible picture, swayed me to use this recipe for my blog. 

You will see in the recipe below, as compared to both fudgy and cakey brownie recipes, there is more flour. The additional flour is the “secret ingredient” that helps the brownies have that irresistible chewy texture.

I decided to make three different versions, all with the same chewy brownie base.

•  The basic, classic plain
• With Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
• Drizzled with smooth, luscious caramel

Chewy Brownies
(Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking)
Yields 1 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan

4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more for the pan

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1-1/2 cups sugar

Scant 1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) flour

2 Tbs. natural cocoa (not Dutch-processed)

Position the rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square pan, line the pan with parchment paper (be sure to leave a little extra on two sides so the brownies can be easily lifted out of the pan), and then butter the parchment.

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove the pan from the heat; cool slightly (3-5 minutes). Stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, stirring each time until blended. Add the flour and cocoa; beat until incorporated and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan (if you want chocolate chips on your brownies, this is the point when you sprinkle them on top. Just to make sure the brownie had the chocolatly flavor from the chips in every bite, I push them into the batter to incorporate them better) and bake until the top is uniformly colored and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs, 35 to 45 minutes.

Set the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle (if your using a glass pan take out the brownies as soon as possible or they will continue to bake). Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and then using the parchment paper flaps lift the brownies out of the pan, peel off the parchment paper and continue to cool them on the rack. Cut into bite size squares (1-inch by 1-inch) with a sharp knife.

To make the brownies a little more unique and innovative I decided to add a layer of caramel on top of some of the brownies. The caramel is adapted from two famous New Yorkers, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, owners of Baked. Their Sweet and Salty Brownie is deliciously decadent. It incorporates this amazing caramel sauce that is not only drizzled on top but also mixed inside the brownie itself. This adds a sweet yet salty kick in every bite. I used their caramel recipe, a slight deviation from the original, as an icing on top of the chewy brownies.  

Caramel Sauce

(Recipe adapted from Baked Explorations)

Yields enough caramel for 1 pan of 8-inch by 8-inch brownies

1 cup sugar


2 tablespoons light corn syrup


1/4 cup water


1/2 cup heavy cream


1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel
(I omitted this from inside the caramel and used it as a garnish instead)

1/4 cup sour cream

Combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Be sure to stir carefully to avoid splashing up the sides of the pan. Cook until the mixture is deep golden brown in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and slowly add the heavy cream. (At this point, you would also as the Fleur de Sel if you wanted to incorporate it into the caramel.) Whisk in the sour cream and set aside to cool.

To assemble the brownie: lighting ice the brownie with the caramel (before you cut the brownies). Cut them into bit size pieces (approximately 1-inch by 1-inch), carefully sprinkle each one with a little Fleur de Sel, only about 3-5 flakes on each piece.

Enjoy!