The key to making this a sensual success is to use a good quality chocolate that is at least 64%+ chocolate. The following are all wonderful options:
Additionally, Saigon cinnamon really sets these brownies off with superior flavor and aroma. And the Latino kiss to this brownie is the ancho chili powder and smoked hot paprika.
The earthy malt flavoring lends a subtle yeasty/sourdough taste that softens the heat of the chili powders. Last but certainly not least, the sprinkling of sugar inside the pan adds excitement in the first bite as your taste buds dance with sweet delight.
These are grown-up brownies with tastes that linger on the tongue. What more can I say… the seduction of chocolate will speak for itself.
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Course: DessertCuisine: American, MexicanKeyword: Brownies
Ingredients
Equipment
Ingredients
Chef Gerrie's Notes
* Demerara sugar crystals are a little larger than Turbinado or “Sugar in the Raw”.
* Molasses is less sweet than dark/amber honey and barley malt syrup.
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F.
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Prepare your pan by liberally buttering the entire pan, including the height of all sides. Add Demerara sugar to coat the pan and tap out any excess.
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Melt butter and chocolate by filling the 3 qt. sauce pot about half full with water and bring to a strong simmer, or a “lazy boil” before cutting the temperature down a tad. Combine both types of chocolate and butter in a heat proof mixing bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water.The mixing bowl should not touch the water. If you’ve got too much water, just dump some out. Think low and gentle steam hitting the bowl to gradually melt the chocolate. Stir chocolate and butter over the simmering water until both are well blended and melted. Remove from heat and blend in the honey, syrup, or molasses and let cool at room temperature. Important Tip! Once you melt the chocolate, don’t go watch a movie or something. The chocolate will harden and you won’t be able to fold it into the sugar egg mixture. When combining chocolate with other fat, whether it be cream, or the egg sugar mixture, they both need to be cool and have almost the same temperature so they blend nicely.
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Dissolve sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the heat proof mixing bowl or stand-up mixing bowl over the same 3 qt. sauce pot you used in step 3. Bring the pot of water back to simmering and place the heat proof mixing bowl on top – again, making sure the mixing bowl is not touching the water (you could coddle your eggs that way). The purpose of this step is to dissolve the sugar into the beaten eggs and vanilla for a smooth texture. Whisk fearlessly and quickly until the sugar has melted and you don’t feel the grainy texture with your finger.
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Whip egg mixture using a wire whip and stand-up mixer or good ol’ fashioned elbow grease. Whip on high (if you can) until the mixture is yellow and fluffy. Cool to room temperature.
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Sift dry ingredients together onto or into wax paper or a bowl while your egg mixture cools off.If you like more of a punch…add a pinch of Cayenne to your dry ingredients.
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Carefully combine all ingredients. Start by folding small amounts of the whipped egg mixture into the chocolate until just combined – do this in three separate parts. Then slowly add the dry ingredients, again in three separate parts.
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Fill your brownie pan by pouring all of your brownie batter into your sugar coated pan. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula and hit the bottom of the pan onto a hard surface to release air bubbles.
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Bake for about 50 minutes in the center of the oven. The brownies are cooked when a toothpick comes out of the center of the pan clean.
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Cool completely before cutting. You should be able to put your hand on the bottom of the pan. Use a chef’s knife to cut along the sides of the pan to loosen, then put a sheet pan on top of the brownies and flip. Next place a cutting board on top of the back side of the brownies and flip again to see the brownies out of the pan and ready to be cut.
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Cut into 2×2 inch pieces using a serrated knife.
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