CHOCOLATE BROWNIES RECIPE
BROWNIES or Brownie are delicious chocolate treats typical of American tradition now widespread and much loved even in Italy, halfway between chocolate cake and Tenerina.
It is a dark colored chocolate cake cut into squares, hence the name Brownie (transl. dark), with a soft and tender inside and a crunchy crust that literally melts in your mouth.
Like every traditional recipe, there are several versions: Brownies with nuts, Brownies marbled with cream or Nutella, Brownies with fresh fruit, White Chocolate Brownies (called Blondies), and I could go on for hours.
Today I propose the Chocolate Brownies Recipe, which after long and different attempts, I deemed to be the best for consistency and ease of execution.
This is a very quick preparation: simply melt the chocolate with the butter, separately whip the eggs with the sugar, add the melted chocolate and yogurt and mix everything in a bowl. Finally, add the dry elements: sifted flour, cocoa, and baking powder, and pour the already prepared mixture into the baking pan for cooking.
In this recipe, I added yogurt to make the dough lighter and reduce the amount of butter compared to usual, while the blueberries add a touch of freshness, and for crunchiness, I used roasted pistachios.
This is a basic Chocolate Brownies recipe that, depending on your taste, you can enrich or modify to create your favorite treat: for example, replacing the blueberries with other fresh fruit such as Raspberries or adding only chocolate chips, or even nuts such as Cashews, Pecans, Almonds, Hazelnuts, or Walnuts both in the dough and on the surface: whatever you decide, success is guaranteed!
Once ready, these chocolate treats will be perfect for countless occasions: from an energetic breakfast to a snack, for a birthday party, or in a standing buffet where each guest grabs their chocolate square. They are also super practical and can easily be transported to school, work, or for an outdoor picnic!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Energy 459.56 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 47.59 (g) of which sugars 20.91 (g)
- Proteins 11.11 (g)
- Fat 27.25 (g) of which saturated 15.48 (g)of which unsaturated 10.95 (g)
- Fibers 6.87 (g)
- Sodium 43.31 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 7 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs (whole)
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 container yogurt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Half packet baking powder (8 g)
- 3/4 cup blueberries (raspberries, strawberries, nuts)
- 1/3 cup pistachios (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans)
Tools
- Bowl
- Hand whisk
- Baking pan
Steps
In a bowl, place the eggs with the sugar and beat with electric whisks until you obtain a light and frothy mixture. Combine the chocolate previously melted in the microwave (or in a bain-marie) with the butter and mix with a spatula. Insert the yogurt and mix again until incorporated. Add the flour, unsweetened cocoa, and sifted baking powder and mix with a spatula. Finally, insert the coarsely chopped pistachios and incorporate.
Line a mold (I use a square 9 inches side) with parchment paper and pour the mixture inside, leveling with a spatula. Add the blueberries randomly distributed on the surface. Bake in a preheated static oven at 320°F for about 40 minutes. Check the doneness with a toothpick before removing from the oven: it should not be completely dry. Let cool in the mold then serve the Chocolate BROWNIES cut into squares.
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TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
CHOCOLATE: For an even more intense flavor, you can use 65-70% dark chocolate. After adding the melted chocolate, you can flavor the dough with cinnamon, vanilla, or ginger.
BUTTER: Try replacing part of the butter (up to 50%) with coconut oil for a more fruity aroma.
YOGURT: Depending on the flavor you want your Brownies to have, choose plain yogurt (whole) or vanilla-flavored or even blueberry-flavored to recall the decoration fruit. Just one precaution: choose yogurt without fruit pieces inside as they would compromise the success of the recipe.
PISTACHIOS: Pistachios can be replaced with other nuts like walnuts, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, or peanuts.
BLUEBERRIES: Choose the berries you prefer, raspberries or strawberries are also great with the chocolate flavor. I discourage blackberries because they are too rich in seeds which would be annoying under the teeth. It is not mandatory to include fruit, you can prepare your Chocolate Brownies simply by adding nuts.
STORAGE
Once ready, the Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for at most 1 day, as they contain fresh fruit. Otherwise, for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
CURIOSITY
Chocolate Brownies, amazingly delicious treats, originated in Chicago in 1893 thanks to Mrs. Palmer, a woman of the high bourgeoisie, who on the occasion of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the new world, asked her pastry chef to create a dessert as good as a cake, but at the same time practical like cookies, so that they could be put in a box and transported during a reception.
An idea as simple as it was ingenious that quickly made Brownies an iconic sweet in the United States alongside Cookies, Muffins, and Cupcakes, conquering everyone even beyond borders.
