CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
The BROWNIES or Brownie are delicious chocolate treats typical of the American tradition, halfway between a chocolate cake and Tenerina, now widespread and very loved also in Italy.
It is a cake cut into squares with a dark chocolate base, from which the name Brownie (trans. dark) derives, with a crunchy crust and a soft and tender consistency inside that literally melts in your mouth.
Like every traditional recipe, there are several versions: Swirled Cream or Nutella Brownies, White Chocolate Brownies (Blondies), Chocolate Brownies with fresh or dried fruit, and I could go on for hours.
The recipe I propose today is Chocolate Brownies, which after long and various attempts, I found to be the best for consistency and ease of execution.
It’s a quick preparation: simply melt the chocolate with butter, separately beat the eggs with 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 ready mixture into the baking pan for baking.
In this recipe, the amount of butter is reduced compared to the usual to make room for yogurt which makes the dough lighter, freshness is given by raspberries, which pair perfectly with dark chocolate.
This is a basic Chocolate Brownies recipe that, depending on your tastes, you can enrich or modify to create your favorite treat: for example, replacing raspberries with other fresh or dried fruits, or just adding chocolate chips, or even nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts either inside or on the surface or chocolate flakes, whatever you decide the success is guaranteed!
Once ready, the Chocolate Brownies will be perfect for a thousand occasions: from an energetic breakfast to a snack for children, a birthday party, or a standing buffet where each guest takes their own chocolate square. Furthermore, they are super practical and can easily be taken to school, work, or for a picnic outdoors!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economic
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Energy 510.15 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 61.36 (g) of which sugars 34.96 (g)
- Proteins 9.86 (g)
- Fat 27.11 (g) of which saturated 13.99 (g)of which unsaturated 8.44 (g)
- Fibers 5.53 (g)
- Sodium 50.67 (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
- 7.05 oz 55% dark chocolate
- 3.53 oz butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 container yogurt
- 1.67 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- Half packet baking powder
- 1 cup raspberries (or other fresh fruit)
- 1/2 cup walnuts (or other nuts)
Tools
- Bowl
- Mixer
- Baking Pan
- Parchment Paper
Steps
In a bowl, place the eggs with the sugar and beat with the electric beaters until you get a light and fluffy mixture. Add the chocolate previously melted in the microwave (or bain-marie) together with the butter and mix with a spatula. Add the yogurt and mix again until incorporated. Add the sifted flour, unsweetened cocoa, and baking powder and mix with a spatula. Finally, add the coarsely chopped walnuts and incorporate.
Line a mold (mine is a 9-inch square) with parchment paper and pour in the mixture and level with a spatula. Add the raspberries, distributing them randomly on the surface. Bake in a preheated static oven at 320°F for about 40 minutes. Check the baking with a toothpick before removing from the oven definitively: it should not be completely dry. Let cool in the mold then serve the CHOCOLATE and raspberry BROWNIES cut into squares.
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NOTES
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 a plain (whole) yogurt or a strawberry-flavored one that pairs well with raspberries, or even vanilla. One caution: choose a yogurt without fruit pieces inside as they would compromise the success of the recipe.
NUTS: Walnuts can be replaced with other nuts such as almonds, toasted hazelnuts, pecans, or peanuts.
RASPBERRIES: Choose the berries you prefer, blueberries or strawberries are fine. I don’t recommend blackberries because they are too rich in seeds that would be bothersome under the teeth. It is not mandatory to insert the fruit; you can prepare your Chocolate Brownies by simply adding nuts.
STORAGE
Once ready, the Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, due to the presence of fresh fruit. Otherwise, for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
CURIOSITIES
These chocolate Brownies, delightful sweets, were born in Chicago in 1893 thanks to Mrs. Palmer, a woman of high society, who on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the new world, asked her pastry chef to create a dessert that was as good as a cake, but at the same time practical like cookies, to be put in a box and transported during the reception. An idea as simple as it was brilliant, which quickly made chocolate Brownies the sweet icon of the United States along with Cookies, Muffins, and Cupcakes, loved in the Anglo-Saxon territory and beyond.
