Testing Notes

Decadent [recipe link]

It’s hard to imagine these brownies tasting any darker without becoming savory. And they’re very fudgy. I love’m. Fantastic with a Beaujolais-Villages. If you want to make these ahead of time, tomorrow they will be exactly as exquisite as they were today, and the powdered sugar will continue to look great. They’ll forge ahead in a state of unquestionable deliciousness on days three and four. On day five, however, it’ll be like all of a sudden, boom. And you’ll be like, what? And you’ll probably just want to throw them right into the trash.

• I agree with the use of a 9″ x 13″ pan. These brownies are unbelievably rich, and I think a thicker version would be overpowering. In a 9″ x 13″ pan, these brownies are going to bake only for about 15 minutes.
• I don’t agree with the use of a double boiler. I suggest that you put the chocolate and butter in an ovenproof dish, and put them into the oven as it’s preheating. Take them out every five minutes and stir. Watch it carefully and stir diligently. You want the final melting to occur as you’re stirring, not in the oven.

№ 68 [recipe link]

“Why would you add sugar to the ganache?” I asked, until I left it out, then later bit into one of the brownies, and had to be taken to the hospital for chocolate overdose. They had to pump three pints of vanilla into my system before they could take me off life support. Indeed, these devilish little mofos should be called “Holy Jesus Dark-Chocolate Christ!” One bite will send your legion of vanilla demons flying into a sea of pigs. So yes, I concede to the sugar. Although I’m curious about using semi-sweet chocolate.

• Nuke the butter, in half-stick pieces, in a 2-cup glass measure, for 2 minutes on 50%. Watch it to make sure it doesn’t boil over. If any chunks remain, stir the butter until they melt.
• Use a stand mixer and paddle the first set of ingredients on 1, ratcheting up to 4, and then sustain that for 30 secs. Paddle the eggs in one at a time, on 4. Paddle in the dry ingredients on lowest speed. Batter will be as thick as frosting.
• Martha has excellent ganache instructions.
• Once you’ve spread the ganache over the brownies, run through it with a wide-tine fork, such as a serving fork with ⅛-inch gap between the tines. This will rake in a nice pattern. You could drag the fork in wavy lines, if you’re a bit more right-brained.
• The ganache will take about an hour to set.
• When it comes time to cut these, your instinct is going to be to divide the pan into 8 squares. Those are some impressively large brownies. But I know you; you’re going to think it’s the right thing to do. Take it from a guy who can, on a whim, order a second Whopper sandwich to go with that Number 1 meal: no way! You’ll regret it, buddy. They are SO intense. You’ll be in food coma before you finish the last bite. I think you want to get 16 pieces out of this. Truth be told, I cut the pan into 32 two-hitters if I’m cutting it for my own personal use.

Nutella [recipe link]

• Dense, tasty, very sweet … there’s a deepness to them that lingers in the background. They’re slightly reminiscent of candy.
• Not as chocolaty as they are dark, but profoundly moist. Don’t judge them warm; their true colors emerge once they’ve become completely and utterly cool.
• The edges crisped, while the center of the pan fell during cooling – which resulted in a chewy-yet-molten texture. I would prefer that this happened less dramatically, however.
• When swirling, you have to make sure that the Nutella doesn’t move to the bottom of the pan. The Nutella will stick to the pan, so in any spots where it touches the bottom, you’ll have a hell of a time getting those brownies out cleanly. I’d recommend using a half-tsp measure to distribute the Nutella, and then swirl it more horizontally than vertically.

Suggestions for Further Reading:

• Exhibit № I: No-Bake Therapy
• Exhibit № II: No-Bake Cheesecake
• Exhibit № III: The Fudge Brownie Collective You Are Here
• Exhibit № IV: The Fried Goat Cheese Alliance

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Photo Credit: BuzzFeed

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