Chocolate Brownie Recipe
I took this recipe off the back of a packet of sugar I bought from Whole Foods
I took this recipe off the back of a packet of sugar I bought from Whole Foods
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2/3 cups cane sugar
- 1/4 + 3 cups + tabelspoons all purpose flour unbleached
- 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1/4 cups milk cold (soy, whole or low fat as desired)
- Carbohydrate 77.9450207694309 g
- Cholesterol 63.944750014349 mg
- Fat 25.6850625087214 g
- Fiber 2.39246000959674 g
- Protein 4.47809850608678 g
- Saturated Fat 16.108152605367 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (130g)
- Sodium 434.255637965288 mg
- Sugar 75.5525607598341 g
- Trans Fat 1.80196370054862 g
- Calories 550 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Add cold milk and gently whisk in egg and vanilla extract.
- Add mixture to dry ingredients and mix until completely smooth batter is formed (a mixer is handy here).
- Spoon batter into an 8 x 8 inch pan or Pyrex container and level out (you can coat the pan in a little butter or oil to prevent it sticking too much). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove, allow to cool in pan, cut into squares (about 9) and serve).
Can these rich squares be held in the freezer without losing their dense center? When wrapped tightly in plastic wrap while still slightly warm, baked chocolate squares maintain their moisture profile for up to three months in a sub-zero environment. Cold butter emulsifies differently than clarified fats during long-term storage, meaning frozen items retain structural integrity remarkably well once thawed at ambient room temperature. Wrapping individual portions prevents freezer burn from compromising the delicate crust that forms during the initial thirty minutes of oven exposure at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
Scaling quantities upward requires careful attention to pan dimensions to ensure even heat distribution across the batter. Doubling the dry components without expanding the baking vessel alters the internal steam dynamics, often resulting in an uneven center that refuses to set properly. Standardizing the depth of the raw batter to roughly one inch guarantees consistent thermal transfer from the edges to the middle during baking. Pyrex containers conduct heat slower than cast iron but faster than silicone, which directly influences the crust thickness.
Allowing the baked pan to cool completely before slicing prevents structural collapse along the interior crumb. Warm fats remain liquid enough to cause tearing when a knife blade passes through the middle, whereas fully cooled fats firm up to produce clean edges. Stacking cut squares between sheets of parchment paper stops them from adhering to one another during short-term refrigerator storage lasting up to four days. Airtight containers protect the delicate cocoa aromatics from absorbing surrounding odors in cold storage environments.
Reheating single portions in a low-temperature toaster oven for three minutes restores the freshly baked texture without scorching the exterior sugars. High sugar contents mean that aggressive microwave heating causes rapid internal boiling and subsequent toughening of the protein matrix. Testing internal warmth with a metal skewer ensures the center reaches serving temperature without drying out the surrounding crumb structure. Proper cooling prior to any secondary heating cycle prevents the moisture barrier from failing prematurely.
