Nutella Swirl Brownies

Nutella Swirl Brownies

My kitchen does not always close because I have an early night. Olivia's friend Nora was sleeping over last night and they decided to make late night Nutella brownies.  I was watching TV in bed when Olivia brought two of these, warm from the oven for Spouse and I to sample in bed. How's that for service?

Without a doubt, these are some of the best brownies I have ever tried. Brownie lovers seem to be divided into two groups, the edge lovers like me and the center cut lovers who like the middle best. This recipe will please everyone because the edges get chewy and delicious while the center is oh so fudgy. The swirl of Nutella through the batter makes them even better. A tall glass of cold milk and one of these beauties would make any kid extremely happy as an after school snack.

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan melt:

• 1 cup butter

Remove from heat and stir in until dissolved:

• 2 1/4 cups sugar

Dissolving the sugar in the butter is an essential step. You want to pinch the mixture between your fingers and make sure that you can't feel any sugar grains; this step helps to create the soft chewy, fudgy texture of the brownies. If you need to return the mixture to the heat to get the sugar dissolved only place it on the burner over medium heat for 30 seconds at a time and stir again. It is important that the mixture is not too hot when you add the Nutella, so cool it down for 15 minutes or so if you have to before moving on to the next step.

When the sugar is dissolved, stir in until smooth:

• 2/3 cup Nutella

Add:

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large or extra large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer on low, mix until smooth.

Finally fold in by hand:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Take and additional 

• 1/3 cup Nutella 

and drop it by teaspoonfuls all over the surface of the batter. Using the handle of a wooden spoon swirl the Nutella through the batter.

Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan before cutting and serving.

Wonderful for brownie sundaes too!

Gingerbread Brownies with Brown Butter Frosting

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Gingerbread Brownies with Brown Butter Frosting

Spouse and the kids love the flavor of gingerbread and so do I but I am also very fond of the flavors of chocolate and ginger together. I've been known to top gingerbread cake with chocolate whipped cream or even dip gingersnaps into chocolate. One of my favorite cookies is Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Biscotti too.

With that flavor combination in mind, I decided to add a ginger element to my favorite brownies and for a really decadent twist, to add a buttercream frosting on top using some lightly caramel flavored brown butter; boy did that ever turn out deliciously well. If you don't like the idea of adding spice to this recipe just omit those ingredients and try the recipe with this frosting because that would be a phenomenal flavor combination all on its own.

Gingerbread Brownies with Brown Butter Frosting

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

The Best Brownies - soft, moist, triple fudgy brownies with added chocolate chips and an easy chocolate ganache glaze.

Prep time: Approximately 20 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 30 minutes
Total time: About an hour
Yield: 25 brownies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp powdered ginger
• 5 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger
• FOR THE FROSTING
• 1/2 cup brown butter
• 2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp milk (approximately)

Directions

1. Sift together flour, cocoa, powdered ginger and salt.
2. Melt together butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
3. Add eggs,vanilla and sugars. Stir very well until sugars are dissolved.
4. Gently fold in dry ingredients and the chopped candied ginger.
5. Pour batter into a 9 inch square baking pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for about a half hour at 350 degrees F or until the surface of the center of the brownies appears dry and firm. Toothpick test will not work for this recipe but it will tell you if the middle is still liquid. Do not over bake these brownies or they will be dry rather than moist and chewy.
6. BROWN BUTTER FROSTING
7. To brown butter just melt it in a small saucepan over medium heat and watch it carefully until the color turns light golden brown.
8. Pour it off immediately into a heat proof measuring cup, leaving the sediment behind.
9. Allow the brown butter to cool to room temperature and solidify.
10. Beat all ingredients together until smooth, fluffy, and a spreadable consistency. Use a couple of tablespoons of milk to begin and add more if need be or of it becomes too thin, just add a couple more tablespoons of icing sugar at a time to get to the proper consistency.

Walnut Brownie Pie

Walnut Brownie Pie

After previewing this recipe photo on our Facebook Page yesterday, we are rushing this recipe to publication today because it got such a great response there and folks were actually emailing me for the recipe. The truth is, this pie is just as good as it looks. Imagine a walnut brownie meets a pecan pie! 

I have to confess, I could not resist going to the fridge 3 times to cut little slivers of this pie. Little slivers can be quite satisfying with this very rich pie; it is just the sort of thing I would order for dessert in a restaurant where, at the end of a good meal it's rich sweetness could be appreciated slowly with a great cup of coffee. Those was one of my most successful pie experiments ever. I totally love this one!

Walnut Brownie Crust

Yes, this is an actual cookie crust and does make terrific Walnut Brownie Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 extra large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts

Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream the butter, vanilla extract and sugars well, before adding the eggs one at a time and beating until light and fluffy. Fold in the dry ingredients and when they are almost mixed in fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Try not to over mix the dough which will be quite stiff. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or so, then roll out to about a 10-12 inch round and place in a 9 or 10 inch pie plate. The dough is very forgiving so if it tears or cracks, just fill in any holes with scraps of dough and press them evenly into place. Make sure the dough is not stretched and is pushed well into the pan. Trim the edges of the dough.

 Filling

In a large bowl whisk together for 2-3 minutes until the brown sugar is dissolved:

4 large or extra large eggs (or 5 medium, or 6 small)
1 ½ cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups dark corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter

Stir in:

1 1/2 cups walnut halves

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 -50 minutes or until the center is set and jiggles like jelly. Cool completely before serving.

Walnut Brownie Cookies

My daughter Olivia, has been experimenting with some chocolate cookie recipes and came up with this one recently that really does taste like a good walnut brownie. Be extra careful not to over bake these cookies, it is actually preferable to under bake these a little to get a fudgy middle, so experiment with the baking time in your oven to get them just right.

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 extra large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts

Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream the butter, vanilla extract and sugars well, before adding the eggs one at a time and beating until light and fluffy. Fold in the dry ingredients and when they are almost mixed in fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Try not to over mix the dough which will be quite stiff.

Roll the dough in 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Press the  dough balls down slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-11 minutes, being careful not to over bake them. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack and letting them cool completely.

Brownie Cheesecake

Brownie Cheesecake

I've tried a few brownie cheesecakes in my day and experimented with making several. Sometimes with a brownie base, sometimes with chunks of brownie baked into the cheesecake itself. My final version of this recipe settled on a chocolate cookie crumb base, to add a little crunch to this cheesecake. 

I chose to bake little bite size brownies to top the cake in order to preserve their chewy, fudgy texture. I found baking them into the cheesecake resulted in them only sinking to the bottom anyway and I like this presentation much better. The creaminess of a perfectly baked cheesecake is also maintained and the mix of textures and flavors is simply outstanding in this amazing dessert.

A word about baking a cheesecake in a bain marie before starting the recipe. A bain marie is simply a water bath that buffers the direct heat from the sides and bottom of the baking pan to more evenly bake the cheesecake from the sides to the center.

I bake my cheesecakes in a 9 inch springform pan that has the bottom and sides wrapped in multiple layers of wide heavy duty aluminum foil which forms a sort of boat that the cheesecake pan sits in. The roll of aluminum foil that I use is about 16 inches wide. I use at least 4 layers of foil to make sure that no water leaks in and ruins the crust of my cheesecake. The aluminum foil wrapped pan is then placed inside a larger baking pan; I use a 12 inch cake pan. Boiling water is then poured into the larger pan filling it from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to the top.

I find it best to pour the boiling water into the pan after it is placed on the rack in the oven as you are less likely to splash water onto the cheesecake or inside the aluminum foil. I reuse the aluminum foil for several future cheesecakes, adding a couple of layers to it each time just to be safe.

Cheesecake

In a small bowl, combine:

• 1 1/3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased or parchment lined 9 inch springform pan. (Grease bottom only!) Parchment paper is ideal here because it makes it very easy to release the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.

Cream together:

• 3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar

Add, one at a time

• 3 eggs

beating well after each addition. Add

• 3 tsp vanilla extract

Finally blend in

• 1 cup whipping cream

Pour over the prepared base and bake in a bain marie at 300 degrees F for 60 minutes to 70 minutes. The cheesecake does not have to brown at all in order to be fully baked; the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point.

Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (but who cares if it does? I am never bothered by a crack or two in the surface) Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature. (NOT in the fridge). Refrigerate after fully cooled.

Top with the mini brownies and drizzle with chocolate ganache before serving. 

Mini Brownies

• 1/3 cup plus one rounded tablespoon of flour
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 cup plus one rounded tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 2 rounded tbsp light-brown sugar
• 1 extra large egg
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together flour, cocoa and salt. Melt together butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Add egg, vanilla and sugars. Stir very well until sugars are almost dissolved.

Gently fold in dry ingredients.

Pour batter into a 8 inch square baking pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15-18 minutes at 325 degrees F or until the surface of the center of the brownies appears dry and firm. Toothpick test will not work for this recipe but it will tell you if the middle is still liquid. Do not over bake these brownies or they will be dry rather than moist and chewy. Cool completely before cutting into 1/2 inch squares.

• Chocolate Ganache

In a double boiler, melt together 

• 1 ounce whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

 Drizzle over the brownies and cheesecake.

Vanilla Brownies Recipe (Vegan)

We love these vanilla brownies! They are rich and moist and go great with a scoop of Blackberry Sorbet. I based this recipe off of my Carob Brownies Recipe (Vegan) when we wanted a dessert that didn't have chocolate or carob in it.

Vanilla Brownies Recipe

2-1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Batter will be thick. Spray a 9x12 pan with non-stick spray. Spread batter evenly into pan with a spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

If using rice flour to make these brownies use the following instead of the unbleached flour above:
1-1/2 cups + 2 tbsp brown rice flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
2 tbsp binder (potato starch, tapioca flour, arrowroot powder, etc.)

Carob Brownies Recipe (Vegan)

I developed this recipe when Sam started reacting to cocoa/chocolate. We love chocolate in this family, and these carob brownies have been filling the void for us nicely. These brownies are rich and moist and they freeze well. The carob powder can be replaced with cocoa powder for chocolate brownies.

Carob Brownies Recipe

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup toasted carob powder (Bob's Red Mill brand)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Batter will be thick. Spray a 9x12 pan with non-stick spray. Spread batter evenly into pan with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

If using rice flour to make these brownies use the following instead of the unbleached flour above:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp white rice flour
2 tbsp binder (potato starch, tapioca flour, arrowroot powder, etc.)

If using agave nectar and rice flour to make these brownies use the following instead of the sugar above:
1-1/3 cup light agave nectar
Also, use 3/4 cup safflower oil and 3/4 cup water instead of 1 cup each
Bake it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes instead of 375 degrees
And generously spray your baking pan