CHOCOLATE BROWNIES RECIPE
BROWNIES or Brownie are irresistible chocolate treats typical of American tradition, now widespread and much loved in Italy as well — halfway between a chocolate cake and a Tenerina.
They are a dark chocolate cake cut into squares with a dark color — hence the name Brownie — featuring a soft, tender interior and a thin crunchy crust that literally melts in your mouth.
As with any traditional recipe, many variations exist: brownies with dried fruit, brownies swirled with cream or Nutella, brownies with fresh fruit, white chocolate brownies (called Blondies) and I could go on for hours.
What I propose today is the Chocolate Brownies recipe, which after long and several attempts I judged the best in terms of texture and ease of preparation.
This is a very quick preparation: you simply melt the chocolate with the butter, separately beat the eggs with the sugar, add the melted chocolate and the yogurt and mix everything in a bowl. Finally add the dry ingredients: sifted flour, cocoa and baking powder, then pour the batter into the pan ready for baking.
In this recipe I added yogurt to make the batter lighter and to reduce the amount of butter compared to the usual recipe; blueberries add a touch of freshness while toasted pistachios provide crunch.
This is a basic Chocolate Brownies recipe that you can enrich or modify according to your tastes to create your favorite treat: for example replace the blueberries with other fresh fruit such as raspberries, use only chocolate chips, or add nuts like cashews, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts either in the batter or on top — whatever you choose, success is guaranteed!
Once ready, these chocolate treats are perfect for many occasions: an energizing breakfast, an afternoon snack, a birthday party, or a standing buffet where each guest takes a little chocolate square. They are also super practical and easily transported to school, work or a picnic!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 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 granulated sugar
- 3 eggs (whole)
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Half packet baking powder (8 g)
- 2/3 cup blueberries (raspberries, strawberries, dried fruit)
- 1.75 oz pistachios (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans)
Tools
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Baking pan
Steps
In a bowl put the eggs and sugar and beat with electric beaters until you obtain a light and fluffy mixture. Add the chocolate previously melted in the microwave (or in a bain-marie) together with the butter and fold 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 pistachios and fold them in.
Line a pan (I use a square pan about 8 2/3 in / 22 cm per side) with parchment paper, pour the batter inside and level with a spatula. Add the blueberries, distributing them randomly on the surface. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 320°F for about 40 minutes. Check the baking with a skewer before removing from the oven: it should not come out completely dry. Let cool in the pan, then serve the Chocolate BROWNIES cut into squares.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
CHOCOLATE: For an even more intense flavor you can use dark chocolate 65-70%. After adding the melted chocolate you can flavor the batter with cinnamon, vanilla or ginger.
BUTTER: Try replacing part of the butter (up to 50%) with coconut oil for a fruitier aroma.
YOGURT: Depending on the flavor you want for your brownies choose a plain (whole) yogurt or vanilla-flavored yogurt, or even blueberry-flavored yogurt to echo the decoration. One caveat: choose a yogurt without fruit pieces inside as they would affect the recipe’s result.
PISTACHIOS: Pistachios can be replaced with other nuts such as walnuts, almonds, toasted hazelnuts, pecans or peanuts.
BLUEBERRIES: Choose the berries you prefer; raspberries or strawberries also pair well with chocolate. I don’t recommend blackberries because they have many small seeds that can be unpleasant to bite. Adding fruit is optional; you can make your chocolate brownies simply by adding nuts.
STORAGE
Once ready, brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day because of the fresh fruit, or alternatively for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chocolate Brownies, those incredibly tasty little treats, were born in Chicago in 1893 thanks to Mrs. Palmer, a woman of the upper bourgeoisie, who for the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the New World asked her pastry chef to create a dessert that would be as good as a cake but practical like a cookie so it could be placed in a box and transported during a reception.
Such a simple yet brilliant idea meant that in a short time brownies became a sweet icon in the United States alongside cookies, muffins and cupcakes and later conquered taste buds beyond the country’s borders.
