These brownies were so delicious! My little brother (age 28) was here recovering from his knee surgery, and he told me he really liked brownies. What could I do but make them for him?
I found this recipe as I was browsing the internet looking at some of my favorite foodie websites and I saw a Tuesdays With Dorie (TWD) challenge to make brownies.
My brother and I couldn't eat them all so I took some to bible study. I cut them up nice and small as my friends requested.
Each bite was chocolate bliss.
Rick Katz’s Brownies For Julia
Dorie writes “In 1995, when I was working with Julia Child filming the PBS series Baking with Julia and writing the companion book, Boston-based pastry chef Rick Katz was running the prep kitchen in Julia’s basement. Working between the washing machine and the dryer, Rick was in charge of getting the recipes of each of the twenty-six visiting chefs ready for their close-ups. An ordinary human would have had his hands full, but superman Rick always found time to make us extra little goodies, among them these very dark, very fudgy brownies. The way he prepares the batter is different from any other brownie recipe I know. Half of the eggs and sugar are mixed in with the chocolate, while the other half are beaten until they double in volume and are as light as a sponge. Whipping the eggs creates the surprisingly creamy, soft and definitely fudgy texture.
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350ยบ F. Put a 9 inch square baking pan (I actually used a 9 x 13" Pyrex for this) on a baking sheet. Grease and flour your pan.
Whisk flour and salt together and set aside.
Set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter and chocolate in. Stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted-you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. (Or melt in the microwave) To the chocolate mixture, add 1 c. sugar and whisk gently just to incorporate it, then remove the bowl from heat. Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a large bowl.
Put the remaining cup of sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment or a medium bowl using a wire whisk. While whisking stir in the eggs.
Next, little by little pour only half of this sugar-egg mixture into the warm chocolate, stirring very gently without stopping-you don’t want the heat of the chocolate to cook the eggs. The remaining half of the sugar-egg mixture in the bowl should be beaten more with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, on medium-high for about 3 minutes, or until they double in volume.
Using a spatula and a light touch, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate, stopping just short of blending them in completely. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and delicately fold them in, working only until they disappear. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula. I added walnuts to the top of the brownies. Just enough to cover.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the top looks dry. I ended up cooking them for about 10-15 more minutes. They were still very runny. Poke a thin knife into the center and take a peek: The brownies should be only just set and still pretty gooey.
Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.
The brownies are fragile and best cut in the pan. Cut eighteen 1½ x 3 inch bars.
Here is where I found this yummy recipe. I did tweak the recipe a bit. One, I had a hard time understanding it as written, and two, I made some personal changes. I hope you enjoy!
