The Cooking Chronicles: Chocolate Brownies

Debating between a recipe of low-fat brownies by America's Test Kitchen and a regular-fat one from Jamie Oliver, I selected the latter and began the prep work.

Besides the inconvenience of having to convert the measurements, it was a fairly straightforward recipe (and I must say I adore melting chocolate in a double boiler for some odd reason). I used semi-sweet baking chocolate squares instead of the recommended dark chocolate, but the final product turned out just as rich.

My goal with this recipe was to try to achieve the perfect chewy coating and gooey centre, but unlike with cookies, I wasn't able to watch for batch browning to guide me. As well, because I ended up using an 8 x 8 pan instead of a 12 x 12 dish, I couldn't rely on the recipe's suggested baking time. Though I left the tray in oven ten minutes longer to compensate for its increased thickness, it turned out not to be enough. After cooling, I cut into the tray and discovered what was essentially a molten chocolate pudding underlying the crisp crust. Thankfully, after fifteen additional minutes in a reheated oven, the brownies came out edible and held their shape when cut.

Definitely fit only for those with a sweet tooth, the richness of these brownies are best experienced as a full-fledged dessert - warmed in the microwave slightly, then served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum.

Chocolate brownies (before reheating)