Dark Chocolate Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
brownies Comments:
I decorated these brownies with orange flavored and colored white
chocolate chips. Fun for kids or for Halloween. I did an X & O ("Hugs
and Kisses") decoration on a couple of the brownies for this year's
Valentine's Day. These brownies can be frosted with a Cream Cheese
Frosting, a Chocolate Ganache, or just made plain. Either way, they're
very nice.
Tips about Types of Chocolate:
Chocolate is categorized by how much chocolate liquor it contains.
Unsweetened, or bitter, chocolate is 100% chocolate liquor with no sugar
added. Bittersweet and semisweet chocolates have cocoa butter and sugar
added to the liquor but still contain at least 35% and 15% liquor,
respectively. In most cases, these 2 chocolates are interchangeable in
recipes. Milk chocolate, which contains at least 10% chocolate liquor
and 12% milk solids, behaves differently in recipes and should not be
used in place of other types of chocolate unless specified.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate* (See Notes Below), finely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup orange flavored dark chocolate (chopped into small pieces the
size of chocolate chips - *See Notes Below), OR bittersweet chocolate
chips, semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or white chocolate
chips
Optional Toppings
Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)
Or:
Chocolate Ganache Topping (see recipe below)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Line the bottom and sides
of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an
overhang on two opposite sides. Lightly grease the aluminum foil or
lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and unsweetened
chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted, about 4 minutes. Remove
from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla
and stir until well blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and
stir until just blended. Stir in the chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake until a
toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out almost
completely clean, about 30 minutes (or a bit longer if using a metal pan
opposed to a glass pan). Do not overbake. Transfer the pan to a wire
rack and let cool completely.
If desired, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting or Chocolate Ganache
Topping when brownies have cooled completely.
Lift brownies out of pan using the overhang on the two opposite sides of
the pan. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares.
Notes:
*I used Scarffen Berger Unsweeteneed Pure Dark Chocolate (99% Cacoa),
finely chopped.
**I used Newman's Own Organics Sweet Dark Orange Dark Chocolate Bar,
chopped into "chocolate chip" size pieces for the added chips.
To decorate the brownies, I used Callebaut Orange Flavored and Colored
Callets (chips or morsels).
OPTIONAL FROSTING OR TOPPING
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick/2 oz/56g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions:
1. Beat cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl until light and fluffy,
using electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in orange zest and
confectioners' sugar. Spread topping evenly over completely cooled
brownies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until topping is slightly firm.
Chocolate Ganache Topping
Ingredients:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons whipping cream
Instructions:
Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan over medium-low heat until
melted and smooth. Pour evenly over cooled brownies in pan.
Chill brownies until ganache is set, about 2 hours. Cut into 9 squares.
(Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Serve at room temperature.)
Makes 9 large brownies.
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I'm in my own little world, but thats ok everybody knows me here
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