Sep

12

Chocolate-Almond Brownies

September 12, 2007 |

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There’s an article discussing the “new breed of chocolate snobs”. They’re talking about us, though our snobbery is far from recent.

We only associate with fellow chocolate snobs and think folks who add vile stuff like corn syrup, paraffin wax and/or margarine to candy and call it ‘chocolate’ need professional intervention. :fume:

The chocolate spectrum encompasses the whole range. At one end is unsweetened chocolate, usually used for baking with no milk and no sugar. It has just cocoa solids, cocoa butter, pure vanilla extract, soy lechitin (as an emulsifier).

Extra-dark often has a little added sugar and no milk.

Dark chocolate may or may not have milk solids.

Bittersweet, semisweet and milk chocolate have milk solids in increasing degrees. Milk chocolate is mostly dairy and sugar, with as little as 10% cocoa solids.
There may be extra flavourings like coffee beans or orange zest.

White chocolate is simply cocoa butter and sugar.

The differences between the various types of chocolate are explained HERE.

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Cacao pod. Wikimedia Commons

How chocolate is made

The darker the chocolate, the more intense and rich the flavour. ‘Chocolate‘ comes from xocolatl, an Aztec word in the Nahuatl language meaning “bitter water”.

We are not averse to milk chocolate. B, in fact, loves it.

As the Chow.com article points out:

Milk chocolate, meanwhile, has taken a kneecapping at the hands of those who view it as an adulterated and diluted version of “the real thing,” and others who fail to discriminate between waxy mass-market candy bars and high-quality milk chocolate …

… “There are nuances to milk chocolate that you can never achieve with dark chocolate,” says Recchiuti. “The milk adds a different dimension to the flavor. And if you can really taste the cacao—as opposed to the first things hitting your palate being sugar and milk—then it becomes interesting.”

Milk in chocolate rounds off the cacao flavour very well. The problem lies in the sweetness. Most milk chocolates (atleast in the U.S.) are cloyingly sweet. Bittersweet, with a hint of milk, is just right.

That’s not to say American chocolate is not top-notch. HERE’s a list of American brands that can give the Belgians and the Swiss a complex. We love the Guittard brand. It is reasonably priced and comes in 10-pound slabs that are broken up and sold at our co-op. Guittard is a California based company that mainly supplies to pastry chefs and restaurants. Other American brands we use are Trader Joe’s and Scharffen Berger.

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For cooking we always use dark or bittersweet chocolate.

In addition to the intense flavour, there are other reasons to prefer dark chocolate over milk or white.

From the September 2007 issue of Nutrition Action:

“Eating only 30 calories of dark - but not white - chocolate for 18 weeks lowered blood pressure by 2 or 3 points in a study of middle-aged and older adults with either higher blood pressure or hyertension.

The dark chocolate eaters had higher blood levels of S-nitrosogluthathione, which relaxes blood vessels. That could explain how dark chocolate lowers blood pressure …

While the people in this study ate too little chocolate to affect their weight, an overenthusiastic chocolate eater could get carried away. And being overweight can boost blood pressure.”

That’s a good reason to eat a square of dark chocolate a day.

We have tried various recipes for Chocolate Brownies, and this one from Gourmet Magazine’s September 1992 issue was the best. The lower-fat version tastes as good as the original recipe. It’s rich without leaving a layer of grease in your mouth.

A brownie is denser than a cake, less dense than a cookie. It, therefore, has no leavening agents like baking soda, and doesn’t call for whipping up the eggs before adding them.

We saw Sara Moulton, who is Gourmet Magazine’s exec editor, make it on the Food Network on her show many years ago, and have made it more than a dozen times since. She, along with Jamie Oliver, Alton Brown and Ming Tsai made Food Network a really educative and enjoyable place.

Most people learn to cook from someone they know - family or friends. Bee learnt to cook observing Sara Moulton. It’s from her that we learnt to pay close attention to all the ingredients that go into a dish, down to the type of salt we use.

When Food Network was taken over by train wrecks and thirty-minute maladies, we cancelled our cable subscription.

(For those not familiar with what we’re talking about, here are some videos of the train wreck with Spooky Pastry Puffs and Pukey Daffodil Cakes … and classy Sara with Spicy Lamb Masala. )

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This recipe is idiot-proof, and makes a very fudgy, chocolatey brownie.

A few tips:

1. Use a mini-baking sheet - 12×9 inches. If you only have a regular baking sheet, double the recipe.

2. Take a big piece of foil and line the whole sheet, on the bottom and along the edges to the top. That way, you can just lift the brownies off from the sheet using the foil. No sticking, no mess, less grease.

3. If you don’t have bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate and are using semi-sweet, add more cocoa powder and a tad less sugar to make it more chocolatey.

4. The original recipe has 1.5 cups sugar. We use 3/4 cup. Use more sugar if you like it sweeter.

5. For different flavour combos, try adding candied ginger or orange zest.

The original recipe is @ Epicurious.com. Ours is a lower-fat version. This recipe is for plain chocolate brownies.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

(Makes 24 brownies)

8 ounces fine-quality dark chocolate chopped
**or a combo or bittersweet and unsweetened
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (or prune puree)
** if you have neither, use butter
3/4 cup sugar (or more depending on taste)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites
** or 4 large whole eggs
half teaspoon salt
1 cup wholewheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
1 tbsp cognac, coffee liqueur or brandy (optional)
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12×9 pan (a half cookie sheet) in one direction , and then the other to overhang the sheet on all sides. Then lightly oil the foil.

1. In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate, butter and applesauce, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Make sure it’s a large bowl which can accommodate the rest of the ingredients. You can also do this in the microwave. Just make sure to stir at 30 second intervals until everything is beginning to melt.

2. Let the mixture cool until it is lukewarm. Stir in the sugar, liqueur, and the vanilla.

3. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition.

4. Stir in the salt, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and the flour, mixing until the mixture is just combined, and add the chocolate chips.

5. Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top, and bake the mixture in the middle of a preheated 350° F oven for 25 minutes (check at 22) until a tester comes out clean. It is important to take them out as soon as they are done, and not let them dry out. Let the mixture cool a bit. Lift it out with the foil and place it on a rack to cool completely. Cut it into 24 bars.

Store them in the refrigerator. The best way to eat these brownies is to warm them slightly - 15 seconds or so in the microwave.

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For chocolate-almond brownies,

1. We replaced 1/4 cup flour with almonds ground to a powder in a spice grinder.
2. We replaced 1/2 cup chocolate chips with chopped, toasted almonds.
3. We added sliced almonds on top before baking.
4. We added both almond and vanilla extracts.

Is my Chocolate Slave-Free?
Chocolate Tears

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68 Comments so far

  1. Rajitha on September 12, 2007 7:10 pm

    yummy..i will definately make this..replacing the eggs of-course..i like sara moulton..she seems pretty down to earth than many of the blah blah..who make stoup all the time and get their inspiration from…do not want to say the word!!

  2. prajusha on September 12, 2007 7:51 pm

    hi
    Good Info on chocolate. Brownies looks yummy yummy.Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  3. Mamatha on September 12, 2007 7:51 pm

    I just had my dinner - how I wish I had that brownie for dessert *sigh*.

  4. musical on September 12, 2007 7:58 pm

    Really, you had to do this! next time you post brownies, make sure the readers can actually grab a bite :-D

    i love chocolate, i mean CHOCOLATE :-D

  5. musy on September 12, 2007 7:59 pm

    You had to do this! Next time you post brownies, make sure that the readers can grab a bite :-D

    musical.

  6. roopa on September 12, 2007 8:00 pm

    wow its is looking what to say :hammer: i want this now :bow:

    I and my family loves brownies will try this once all festives ends!

  7. vidya on September 12, 2007 8:11 pm

    awesome!!!

  8. Nags on September 12, 2007 8:22 pm

    wow thts such a rich color! i will take mine with some vanilla ice-cream, thank you very much :D

  9. aa on September 12, 2007 9:03 pm

    Thanks for the informative post, and especially the lovely recipe and photos…a visual delight!!
    Speaking of chocolate, growing up - I always tended to think of fine chocolate as a european delicacy…you know you always associate ’swiss’ and ‘belgian’ with fine chocolate…while most of it is grown in the tropics, right? africa, central and south america, some in south east asia I guess…While I do believe in giving credit to those that perfected the manufacturing processes and recipes for fine chocolate as we can buy and eat it today, I do wish more credit went to those who grow the cacao. It is important to acknowledge the soils and the peoples that are the originators of fine chocolate ( I think that is beginning to happen with the rising popularity of chocolate snobbery - ’single origin’ chocolates mean that one acknowledges the origin :) ) I also wish more people bought their chocolate fair trade - the chocolate industry is mired in controversies w.r.t bonded labour and slavery. (for more info google ‘chocolate and slavery’)

    yeah, we have the links to slavery at the end of the post, and how the MNCs are gobbling up the fair trade companies. the plight of the people who bring the cocoa to us is quite tragic. - b.

  10. aa on September 12, 2007 9:05 pm

    the winkie was a typo!!

  11. Priya on September 12, 2007 9:09 pm

    yayy yayy :dance: I got to eat these beauties…and I can assure all you guys here that this will be one the BEST brownies you will EVER eat…100% guarantee :yes: Thank you sooo much :love:

  12. Anita on September 12, 2007 9:11 pm

    You approve death by chocolate, then? :D and if I coul dhave those brownies, I could have died and gone to heaven.

    But these ‘fancy’ chocolates cost the earth and the moon, and a couple other planets with their moons in this part of the world. Do you think they make nice birthday gifts? :D

    once upon a time, nestle used to sell dark chocolate in india. if they don’t, use regular chocolate and add more unsweetened cocoa powder. - b.

  13. Srivalli on September 12, 2007 9:16 pm

    simply superb…this is really not fair that you guys have all those by yourselves :no:. :nono:..waiting eagerly to your egg replaced recipes… :love:

  14. Anonymous on September 12, 2007 9:33 pm

    Hi Jai n Bee,

    Thanks to you and Priya :), I got to eat these yummiessssss….. They are awesome, and the texture was perfect… You made my day :angel: Thank you :)

  15. viji on September 12, 2007 9:36 pm

    That is tempting Bee. Now understand. But with eggs - not of my choice :) It is moist and browny. Viji

  16. lakshmi on September 12, 2007 10:13 pm

    first those chocolatey posts on The Rocky Road of Love, and then Kaminis story of recliner battles with the Chocolate Cake and then this!!

    :nono: no fair!!! you guys cant have it all by yourselves - isnt there some way one can package these in a mail?

    i am assuming those thirty minute maladies refer to rachael ray’s shows (i am not even clicking to find out) - i second you on that one - i almost faint each time i land on one of her recipes on food network.

    she once had a segment on indian food - with olives in it. - b.

  17. Indira on September 12, 2007 10:29 pm

    There’s never a better time for chocolate overload. and don’t I know that.:)

    Thanks for the lovely recipe Bee, now I can bake them at home. They really tasted supergood. You guys rock! :yes:

  18. Meeta on September 12, 2007 10:43 pm

    I guess that’s why we click so well - put two/three chocolate snobs together and you’ve got a pig out LOL! These brownies really look soft and moist. Just wonderful for a choc addict ehem … I mean chocolate snob like me!

    Meeta, we tried the dorie greenspan ones too from your blog and they were great. - b.

  19. Jyothsna on September 12, 2007 10:48 pm

    Brownie points for a wonderful recipe! If I’d made that, there’d be no picture for the blog ;)

  20. Anh on September 12, 2007 11:10 pm

    OMG, this is such a beautiful brownie recipe!!!

  21. Raaga on September 12, 2007 11:21 pm

    Once again… I have everything in my pantry… or so it seems. Maybe on Sunday… once I am done with my Ganpati celebrations :-)

  22. Rachna on September 13, 2007 12:09 am

    sigh…. im drooling here…. lovelyyyy recipe… i will just sit and admire the pics for some more time….

    to me, belgian choc is way better than swiss… but yes we definitely need to brag about the soil where this cocoa grows too… so many of my ghanian friends tell me nobody talks about the west african soil that actually growns european choclate… not fair in my opinion…

  23. Nirmala on September 13, 2007 12:56 am

    :yes: am in love with these :love: instantly! Will for sure make them. But how will you slice almonds this fine?

    we buy them pre-sliced. - b.

  24. Anjali on September 13, 2007 2:41 am

    Drool…Are we allowed to lick the screen :D

  25. richa on September 13, 2007 5:35 am

    that looks absolutely gorgeous :D
    wdydttu ?

  26. Vaishali on September 13, 2007 6:06 am

    Hi Jai & Bee

    I am a brownie fan and your brownies do look yum. Good photographs too.

    Like Bee, I too learnt to cook through Food Network channel. The first show I saw when I landed in Toronto was the Martha Stewart show about 6 years ago. We never really had Sarah Moulton show here. I too never really enjoyed the 30 minute shows. I don’t really get time to cook these days with a 4 month old but hopefully will be able to try your recipes and soon have my own blog someday.

    Keep it up!

    welcome, vaishali, and do start your own blog. it’s fun. - b.

  27. rashmi on September 13, 2007 6:18 am

    Hi Jai And Bee,

    Wow wow…..so now this is next recipe to try on..i am always in search of low fat version of desserts….i only watch 3 shows in food network ,one of which is Sara Moulton,second one is Alton brown.I luv his programme.

    Thanks for the recipe

  28. Pooja on September 13, 2007 6:38 am

    Wow….i feel lije bitting my laptop. It looks so delicious, i hv already drooled over my keyboard. i want a piece NOW…..( sobbing loudly).

  29. Asha on September 13, 2007 6:44 am

    Looks fabulous! Med reps keep giving us Gourmet Fudge brownies,kids love it. I prefer 60% cocoa dark chocolate,other than that I don’t like chocolate!:))

  30. Laavanya on September 13, 2007 7:09 am

    That’s one good looking brownie.

  31. Rachna on September 13, 2007 7:40 am

    i was watching the train wreck videos… cant beleive piling a cake with another and some cookies is wat they show on yur food network… here we get BBC Food, and they are ookay… not bad…

    just a comment out of context… i absolutely loved yur post on composting…was so much knowledge for me… i had tried composting once and given up after it was all hotch potch… now i know i need to add more carbon to balance the nitrogen… how was the composting this summer?? would love another post on it…

    didn’t compost much this summer. our comppost bin broke and we didn’t go out and get another one. - b.

  32. Anu on September 13, 2007 7:41 am

    I had Hot Chocolate Fudge today and then i see this post…But no chocolate overload for me…simply love it…Gr8 pics..want to eat it right away :)

  33. Manasi on September 13, 2007 9:06 am

    :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

  34. arundati on September 13, 2007 9:25 am

    Dear Jai and bee, i saw this post and thought i’d leave a comment, by afternoon my patience had run out and i embarked gingerly on baking it!! check out my blog…..this is the first time the time between reading a recipe and trying it out has been less than 4 hours….. you guys rock!! the brownie was FANTABULOUS…..amma paid me the greatest compliment…she requested that i make one for her to take back to bangalore for my brother and family when she leaves……i am still reeling under this…..today i need no other spirit!! :tongue:

    that is the best compliment ever. thank you. - b.

  35. Suganya on September 13, 2007 9:43 am

    Its a pity FN cares only abt stereotyped bobble heads who knows little or nothing abt cooking. They don’t care for people like Gale Gand or Sara, who IMO, is a friendly-neighbour-look and can teach us some good cooking. She had many guest chefs in her show, which was quite interesting.
    If not for Alton Brown, Emeril or Flay and occasionally Giada (if not for her fake orgasms every time she tastes something), FN is going for gutters.
    I recently read tht Sara has left FN for CBS, for an yet-to-be announced food show. Am so looking fwd to it.
    BTW, is there a brownie-babe contest this month? If so, you can send this entry. Looks fabulous.

  36. Happy Cook on September 13, 2007 9:46 am

    Wow Excelent Brownies.
    I have not shown the pic to my daughter ( she is in school at the moment) when she is home i will show it and she’ll be begging me to make it for her.
    A good read too.

  37. Baking Escapade # 6 - Jugalbandi’s Almond Chocolate brownie « Escapades on September 13, 2007 9:51 am

    […] did the usual trawling….i checked out jai and bee’s as usual…..pondered over the almond chocolate brownie…..fantasised some about serving it at a party and the oohs and aahs that would hopefully […]

  38. Roopa (KitchenAromas) on September 13, 2007 10:05 am

    Sinfully delicious looking brownies! Any suggestions for making this egg free? I’ve never used those egg substitues but I might just try that for these!

    Guess what, the 30 minute cooking “queen” was on Larry King last night. What a hideous combination that was to watch, I tell ya! ;) You did the right thing by cancelling your subscription. Me? I’m still hooked to Iron Chef! That ain’t too bad, just yet. Mario Batali is goooood!

    roopa, we’ll do a post on egg substitutions next week since we’ve received a lot of questons in this regard. - b.

  39. Kanchana on September 13, 2007 10:23 am

    How can something that seems so low fat look so decadent?!! Way to go with the recipe substitutions. I have bookmarked this one!

    Kanchana

  40. sra on September 13, 2007 10:39 am

    Gorgeous, Bee & Jai! I used to bake brownies v often once upon a time, rarely do any baking nowadays. We also used to get flaked almonds here, now they no longer make it!
    I don’t remember seeing Nestle bitter chocolate, but Cadbury has Bourneville. It’s no patch on the foreign ones, but tastes better when you freeze it and thaw it for a short while in the fridge - somehow seems richer that way!

  41. Anonymous on September 13, 2007 11:02 am

    What a wonderful picture. feast to the eyes. can’t tell you how much disappointed i am for not being able to have a piece now.

  42. Mekhala on September 13, 2007 11:17 am

    awesome. i was looking for a sweet recipe to use up my eggs, i’m going to try this recipe. thanks.

  43. sandeepa on September 13, 2007 11:28 am

    24 brownies !!! what did you do ? Ate them all ?
    Absolutely gorgeous :D

  44. Swapna on September 13, 2007 11:48 am

    I got these yesterday and thot that I will wait till P gets home. He’s a die hard dessert fan, you see. But I just cudn’t, just cudn’t resist them. They were looking at me hopefully. So I ate just one. P loved them the minute he tasted. Told me to get the recipe from you. Thanks for the recipe! And many thanks for the brownies.
    Swaps

  45. mandira on September 13, 2007 12:02 pm

    it’s too bad that Sara Moulton’s show was canceled on food Network. But she is working on a new show for PBS.
    Those looks fabulous!! I’m craving something sweet now.

  46. Nupur on September 13, 2007 12:59 pm

    This is the tastiest brownie ever. And I know this for a fact :)

  47. sharmi on September 13, 2007 2:21 pm

    :cry: what a way to tempt people! your pics are simply awesome and never seen a brownie to tempting.

  48. Smita on September 13, 2007 3:56 pm

    Namaskara there! Drooled over the brownies :-)

    Awfully sorry about my chocolate-pistachio laziness! Updated the post and here is the recipe for chocolate pistachio shortbread:

    - Beat 1/2 pound (2 sticks) softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy.
    - Add 2 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate - I’ve added upto 4 ounces.
    - Sift 1.5 cups flour and 1/2 cup cocoa over the melted chocolate / beaten butter mixture. (I used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup amarant flour) Mix it all up nicely. Press dough into a 9×13 pan.
    - Toast 1/2 cup mixed nuts. I used pistachio, cashew nuts and a couple pods green cardamom. Pulse till finely chopped or coarse. Press the chopped nut / cardamom mixture on top of the shortbread. A rolling pin makes quick work of this.
    - Bake at 300 degrees F for about 40 mins. Test with a toothpick, the edges and nuts will appear lightly browned. Cut into bars and cool. Enjoy!

    Smita

    butter, chocolate nuts, you are very very naughty. :D - b.

  49. Chocolate Pudding infused with Lavender » jugalbandi on September 13, 2007 7:00 pm

    […] Chocolate-Almond Brownies […]

  50. Padma on September 14, 2007 5:40 am

    Not a brownie lover either but that pictures are breathtakingly beautiful which can turn non-chocolate-rs On!

  51. Padma on September 14, 2007 5:41 am

    Never thought brownies look so beautiful… I think its ur magic :love:

  52. s