Thursday, October 08, 2009

To Prevent Monotony, We'll Call This Fudge

But that's a lie. It's another brownie recipe! (What? They're popular here. I can't help it.)

Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Brownies

Today is my friend's birthday. It's not an exciting one, or anything. The only milestone I've come up with is (rumor has it, though I can't find proof) is that he is now old enough to go to an Applebee's after 9pm in Missouri. Not sure how that makes sense though.

And as with most birthdays, I ask the person for some sort of suggestion. Two weeks ago I was told brownies, hence the Banana Brownies. For today, my question of "Name on or more the following: a flavor, a texture, an ingredient, or a color" received the response of "Wow umm... Fudgy?"

Which brings us to these brownies. I didn't want to make fudge in response to fudgy, because well, fudge is fudgy by definition. So I, once again, flipped through The Ultimate Brownie Book and picked out a recipe that looked like there was no way it wouldn't turn out fudgy. My roommates first response was "Wow, these are fudgy." And with one pound of milk chocolate in them, and some panicking with the oven (don't use an 8" pan, it'll overflow!) they turned out. Though maybe they could have used a few more minutes when baked in an aluminum foil pan. And would probably look a lot better if they weren't in a box the exact same color as them.

In the words of my roommate, "They taste a lot better than they look, and the cinnamon is wonderful."

Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Brownies
Makes a 9x9 pan of brownies, pick your size (recommends 16, I say more)
adapted from Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Brownie Book

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons ( 1 stick/4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 lb (16 ounces) milk chocolate, chopped, or 2 2/3 cups milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature

Position the rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour (or line with aluminum foil if you have a temperamental pan) a 9x9 pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Place the chopped cholate in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a small pot of simmering water. Or, alternatively, microwave in a microwave-safe bowl on medium in twenty-second intervals, stirring, until melted. Stir in butter one tablespoon at a time.

Beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer at medium speed until sugar has dissolved and mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Beat in the chocolate mixture in two batches. Beat for about 2-5 minutes or until the mixture is smooth.

Fold in the flour mixture. DO NOT BEAT UP THE BATTER! Treat it nicely, with care. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the corners. It will be nice and thick.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sides are set and doesn't jiggle and the top is dry. It will still be soft in the middle and set up as it cools Set pan on a rack to cool for about two hours.

Cut the brownies while they are still in the pan. (It might be easier to put them in the fridge if they are too gooey). Carefully remove them, and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container, either in a single layer or with wax paper in between.

P.S. You should check this out.