Brownies

Almost every American home has a favorite brownie recipe. Ours come from Rick Katz. His intense, fudgy chocolate squares have lived in our home since the kids were little. Made often enough for me to know the recipe off hand, it has been a redoubtable kid and crowd pleaser. 

Chocolate and butter melt together over a very low flame. Sugar is divided between the melted chocolate and lightly beaten eggs. Half the sugary eggs are poured into the chocolate. The rest is whipped to a thick, pale consistency and added to the chocolate. Dry ingredients are folded in gently and thoroughly. No specks of flour should be visible! That will give you a pocket of white after baking. Folding wig a rubber spatula is the key. Baked brownies need to sit till they are cool before cutting into squares. An impatient eater will find it hard to get neat edges if the cake isn't cool enough. This is a two trick recipe. Fudge like brownies are a result of twenty six minutes in a hot oven. If you prefer cake like brownies,  bake the mix for a few minutes longer. Both are finger licking good.

BROWNIES

Courtesy of Rick Katz from the book "Baking With Julia"

Makes 20-24 squares

1 1/4 cup all purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted Butter

6 oz semi sweet Chocolate Chips

2 cups Sugar 

4 Eggs

Sift flour and salt into parchment paper. (Or newspaper like I do. It is considered a no-no, but I do it anyway)

Heat oven to 350F.

Melt butter and chocolate chips in a stainless steel pan over the lowest flame. This is important as a high flame will scorch the butter and chocolate.  If you are not sure about the flame, place the butter and chocolate in a bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. 

Stir till butter and chocolate chips have melted. 

Add 1 cup of sugar to chocolate and mix well. Keep aside. 

Break eggs into the bowl of a mixer. Whisk lightly to mix. 

Add the remaining cup of sugar to eggs. Whisk till sugar dissolves.

Eyeballing it, add half the egg and sugar mix to chocolate. Stir well as you add it in. 

Using a wire whisk, beat the remaining egg and sugar for 3 minutes till light, frothy and thick. A stand mixer is the best, but a hand one works well too. 

Fold eggs into chocolate carefully, using a plastic spatula. Start from the center and work your way around the bowl.

Using the same motion, fold sifted flour and salt gently into chocolate until you cannot see any white specks. This is essential as if all flour isn't mixed in you will find pockets of white when the brownies bake.

Pour batter into a 13x9 baking dish. Thump the pan a few times to remove all air bubbles.

Bake for 26 minutes for fudge-like brownies and 28 minutes for a more cake-like texture.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes or till completely cool.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

We like our brownies on the fudgy side. Moist and chewy, full of intense chocolate flavor, they make a perfect hostess gift, as  Rehan takes a large plateful to Jeff's. I am told they enjoyed the treat.  

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