Today I'll be sharing one of my absolute favorite brownie recipes. It also just so happens to be one of the simplest. The flavors that come through are just spectacular, spicy and rich, and pack just a bit of heat to make you remember that these are no ordinary brownies.
The recipe is adapted from Aaron Sanchez' Mexican Brownies recipe available here.
I have mixed feelings on cocoa powder. I bought a really good quality one from Penzeys Spices that I really enjoy using, but there's something to be said about Hershey's Special Dark, as well. This time, since I'm pairing it with the cinnamon ice cream, I decided to go with the Penzeys. If I were just serving the brownie with a scoop of vanilla, I'd go dark.
And instead of canela, Mexican cinnamon, I used the same Vietnamese cinnamon that the ice cream calls for. P.S. the Vietnamese cinnamon is also from Penzeys. Don't know about Penzeys? Click here. You're welcome.
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter (plus more for greasing)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter. Grease it well so the brownies won't stick!
Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat; do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl and mix until incorporated. Add the mixture to the slightly cooled butter and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Pass the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and baking powder through a sifter or sieve to avoid lumps. Add flour mixture to the sauce pan and mix until smooth.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy. About 20-25 minutes. Let cool at least slightly before digging in! (They're hard to resist!)
Pictures:
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| Melt the butter in a large saucepan |
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| Combine sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl |
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| Mix until incorporated |
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| Cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, baking powder |
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| Sifted dry ingredients |
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| Add egg mixture to slightly cooled butter |
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| Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth |
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| Greased baking dish |
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| Spread prepared mixture |
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| Let cool if you can resist! |
Tips:
For the brownies, the original recipe suggests using parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pan to prevent the brownies from sticking. I personally HATE parchment paper and think it's one of the most spiteful contraptions in my kitchen. On the other hand, I LOVE butter (who doesn't?) and feel that perhaps all that butter I used to grease the dish helps with the gooey goodness. By the way, I used about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter just to grease the dish. Oops.
Above I said to combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla before adding it to the butter. Why? Because I like to think that it helps with the texture and from keeping the eggs from cooking in the cooled, but still warm, butter. It also gives me something to do while all that butter melts.
And now for the ice cream! Or, rather, gelato!
One of the three ice cream recipe books I got for my birthday came from my roommate. It's called Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams from the Nation's Best Creameries by Ellen Brown. As the title suggests, the recipes are all adaptations of ice creams found in creameries across the nation. This one is adapted from Cold Fusion Gelato in Newport, RI. How cool is that?! (Pun intended.)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups whole milk, divided (2 cups and 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground Vietnamese cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Combine 2 cups of milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to steam; do not let boil!
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup milk, milk powder, cornstarch, and vanilla extract in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Make sure both powders have dissolved.
Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. This will take time!
Whisk the mixture until smooth and simmer it over low heat stirring constantly for about two minutes or until it starts to thicken. If lumpy, strain it through a sieve.
Transfer the hot liquid to a bowl and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until it is completely chilled, 6-8 hours or overnight.
Freeze the mixture according to your ice cream machine's instructions. Serve immediately for a soft gelato, or transfer to an airtight storage container and freeze until hard. Allow the gelato to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving if frozen solid.
Pictures:
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| Milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, and salt |
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| Remaining milk, milk powder, cornstarch, and vanilla |
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| As the mixture heats, the ingredients come together |
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| Once the base is chilled, add to ice cream machine |
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| A delicious closeup |
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| Final product packaged and ready to eat or freeze! |
Tips:
For the gelato, remember that this is my first attempt, so I may not yet know what I'm talking about!
Once the mixture passed through my ice cream maker attachment, I used a 32oz yogurt container as the storage container. I put all the ice cream from the machine into the tub and then covered it with plastic wrap before putting the lid on. I then stored it upside down because I saw on Unwrapped that that's what you're supposed to do to avoid air getting trapped under the lid!
If you don't have an ice cream maker, let the mixture chill completely and then put it in the freezer. Stir every 20 minutes or so until it reaches the desired consistency. It's time and labor intensive, but should work. I made ice cream once before this way and it worked out pretty well!
Putting it all together:
If you make the gelato in advance and it's ready when the brownies are done, by all means yank that still warm brownie out of the pan and scoop away.
If you're like me and not that coordinated, plate up a brownie, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and then top it with a scoop of gelato!
If you really wanted to get decadent, throw some heavy whipping cream into your mixture and whip it up for fresh whipped cream! Whipped cream! And then you could top with a maraschino cherry and maybe some sprinkles and nuts...ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. While the sundae is always an excellent option, let's keep it simple and just (just? ha!) do a warm, gooey spicy brownie with a scoop of fresh, cool, yet spicy gelato. Delicious!
Enjoy! And please comment so I know you're out there! If you're trying these recipes I want to know and am completely open to suggestions!
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| Be jealous. I got to eat this! (And, yes, I let it melt a little for dramatic effect.) |
Even these beautiful pictures do no justice to the amazing taste!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things I've ever eaten. Can I have more ;)?
ReplyDelete