Brownie Points
Caky or fudgy moist, the best of these sweet and popular confections merits a chocolate lover's badge.
Most chocolate fanatics say that you can tell a terrific brownie if, when you close your eyes and take a bite, you can still taste the chocolate. There's something about a tray of brownies that makes people think chocolate, even if the sweet doesn't have an intense chocolate flavor. Eggs and flour mask the taste in some mixtures, so you get a nice, but not heavenly, confection. Even if a brownie passes the blind-taste test, chocolate lovers will want to weigh in on the caky versus fudgy debate. A good caky brownie still has a moist center, of course, but the edges are drier than the fudgy variety. A fudgy brownie, on the other hand, is moist through and through, so you practically need a spoon to eat it. That's how Sheryl's mother made them. Hers were no-frills brownies, based on unsweetened chocolate with little flour. We add a little leavening to her recipe so the brownies hold together.
Former Federalist restaurant pastry chef Judy Mattera's brownies have the caky edges so many people like, plus the sweet surprise of moist centers. They taste splendid - packed with chocolate from a combination of semisweet and unsweetened squares. We also like a recipe that lets the baker decide what to add, so the batter can be flecked with milk chocolate, white chocolate, or bittersweet chunks - whatever the cook fancies. And then there are "blondies," brownies with a butterscotch taste. Add semisweet chocolate chips, and you have the best of both sweet worlds.
Stamp of Approval: Panacea
The newest bakeware, manu-factured in a heavy, professional weight with rolled edges, is nonstick and readily available. The nonstick surface means that you can't use abrasives for washing up, and you have to cut brownies carefully, so you don't scratch the pans. But baking is a dream: Batters cook evenly, and your confection will lift or turn out easily every time. You should still butter and flour the pan, but it's not necessary to line it with parchment paper. Calphalon's commercial nonstick bakeware costs $26 for a 9-by-13-inch pan and $18 for an 8-inch square at KitchenEtc (www.kitchenetc.com).
Recipes
SHERYL'S MOTHER'S FUDGY BROWNIES (Makes 12)
This is not an everyday dish. Very moist and quite easy, these brownies are made by hand in a saucepan, using a wooden spoon.
Butter (for the pan)
Flour (for the pan)
1 1/3 sticks unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan and dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate.
With a wooden spoon, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture, mixing it well.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will go from grainy to glossy.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake the brownies in the hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is just firm when pressed with a fingertip. Remove the brownies from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool.
Make 2 cuts in one direction, 3 in the other, to form 12 brownies. Layer the brownies with waxed paper and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
JUDY MATTERA'S CHOCOLATE-WALNUT BROWNIES (Makes 24)
Pastry chef Judy Mattera of Swampscott, who consults for Robert Mondavi wines, used to run the pastry kitchen at The Federalist in Boston. These are the dark-chocolate brownies she made there with macadamia nuts; they were so popular, she couldn't take them off the menu. You need a professional "half-sheet" pan, which is similar to a jellyroll pan but about 1/2-inch larger all around. A jellyroll pan is too small for the mixture. This version uses walnuts.
Butter (for the pan)
Flour (for the pan)
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a profes-sional half-sheet pan. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot, but not boiling, water, melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the water and wipe the bottom.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the melted chocolate and the sugar for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing.
Beat the eggs, one by one, into the chocolate mixture, followed by the vanilla. Beat for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
With the mixer set at its lowest speed, add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, beating just until the batter is smooth. Remove the mixer from the stand and use a wooden spoon to stir in the walnuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
Bake the brownies for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325 degrees and continue baking for 15 more minutes (total baking time is 30 minutes).
Remove the brownies from the oven and set them on a wire rack until they reach room temperature. Make 3 vertical cuts and 5 horizontal cuts to form 24 brownies. Layer the brownies with waxed paper and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWNIES (Makes 20)
You decide what kind of chocolate chunks to add to this cocoa-flavored batter. Begin with bars of chocolate, rap them against the counter, and chop them into chunks. The brownies have caky edges and fudgy centers. If you prefer moister brownies, reduce the flour to 1 1/4 cups.
Butter (for the pan)
Flour (for the pan)
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet, semisweet, milk, or white chocolate, cut into chunks
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Butter the pan and dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed for 1 minute or until well blended.
Add the eggs a little at a time to the sugar mixture and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the bowl during beating. Beat in the vanilla.
With the mixer set at its lowest speed, beat in the flour mixture.
Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. With a rubber spatula, stir in the pieces of chocolate. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and transfer it to the hot oven.
Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is just firm when pressed with a fingertip.
Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. Make 3 vertical cuts and 4 horizontal cuts to form 20 brownies. Layer with waxed paper and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
CHOCOLATE-CHIP PECAN BLONDIES (Makes 20)
Butter (for the pan)
Flour (for the pan)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecan halves
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Butter the pan and dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula or metal spoon to stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake the blondies for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is just firm when pressed with a fingertip.
Set the pan on a wire rack until the blondies cool completely. Make 3 vertical cuts and 4 horizontal cuts to form 20 blondies. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, layering the blondies with waxed paper. 