brownies

Brownies Recipe with all the Fixings!

Brownies! Here they come!

Brownies are the timeless classic, the little black dress of your dessert repertoire. I whip up my brownies at the drop of a hat: I am often asked to do just that, so I double the recipe and pour the batter into a (real please, not disposable) large cookie sheet with sides, and show up at the party with my goodies. You won’t feel any difference whatsoever in the flavor or texture if you make the brownies gluten-free, or with potato starch on Passover.

I have included all the fixings:

Play with a different one each time and get different results, and look like a real pro! My all-time favorite brownies are caramel sea salt. Two simple secrets for the success of brownies: very good chocolate for this and absolutely every chocolate dessert, and not a second more baking time: Even if the brownies look barely set to you, the residual heat will do the rest. I love to make them in a round tart pan and cut it in wedges, but of course any baking pan will do.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces best quality chocolate, chopped, or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) natural margarine (available at health food stores)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup flour (if making for Passover, 1/2 cup potato starch) Gluten-free, use brown rice flour
  • 3/4 cup toasted pecans (300 degree oven-10mn), broken into pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*f. Melt chocolate and margarine in a small saucepan over very low heat, or in a microwave for about 1 minute. In a food processor or with an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture, flour and vanilla, and mix until just combined. Fold in the nuts by hand. Pour into a greased 11-inch round spring-form tart pan, or 10 inch square pan, and bake for 35 minutes, until the top is barely firm; it will set completely with the residual heat sticking to the pie. Let cool before cutting.

VARIATIONS:

  • Sea salt and caramel: bring the salt to 1 tablespoon, and add 1 tablespoon caramel extract (easily available in health food stores)
  • Espresso and brandy: include 1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee powder, decaf ok, and 3 tablespoons rum, brandy and bourbon.
  • Mint: Add a few drops peppermint extract (available at health food stores)
  • Peanut butter: Instead of 1 cup margarine, use 1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • Use other kinds of nuts. Or no nuts at all

Did  you enjoy this recipe? This recipe, as well as many other great desserts, can be found in my book Levana's Table!

11 replies
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Chanie I think you mean can you substitute coconut oil for the margarine. The answer is no, it won’t work. The fat here needs to be solid. Chocolate is very difficult to please

  1. Joanne Smith
    Joanne Smith says:

    Thanks so much Levana, this recipe is such a hit, I have made it 2 times and making one more batch today. Plan to still use the potato starch.

    Reply
  2. Joanne Smith
    Joanne Smith says:

    Plan B- Will be at someone else’s house for Passover, cannot make the molten cake ahead of time and then reheat, peshaw! So am making the brownies minus the nuts. It’s still chocolate! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Hi Marilyn,
      Please bear with me as I learn to navigate my Q&A box. My book manuscript will be handed in this coming September I”YH, so my estimate is, it will come out around January 2011: Very exciting!

  3. Terri Barnett
    Terri Barnett says:

    Your new Web site looks amazing!!!

    The recipes download so nicely now!

    Can’t wait til we can eat chocolate to try this. Can we use the following substitutions: carob powder, beet sugar, brown rice flour?

    Terri

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Try at least to use carob chips, or it will throw the whole recipe off balance. The other two are no problem: I use brown rice flour quite often!

  4. Kathy Kupfer
    Kathy Kupfer says:

    This sounds like a prize winning brownie recipe and boy do I love chocolate!
    I am going to try the mint variation.
    Thank you so, so much
    Kathy Kupfer (Lorrie’s mechatanista

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Who doesn’t??? It’s really great with the mint! Try making them for Passover, using potato starch instead of the flour!

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