THE ULTIMATE BROWNIE

The Ultimate Brownie image

Note: If you ever have any leftover brownies, you can make chocolate-chocolate bread pudding. Break them up, put them in a baking dish, add some bittersweet chocolate chips, cover it all with custard and bake til puffed and no longer wet in the middle. From the Sugar Cube

Provided by Lynnda Cloutier @eatygourmet

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 15

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Ingredients

- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 sticks
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. crème fraiche or sour cream
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- coffee syrup:
- 1/2 cup french press or strong brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 recipe sexy bittersweet chocolate ganache, recipe follows
- fruity or grassy extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- flake sea salt, such as fleur de sel or maldon, for sprinkling

Steps:

For brownies, line 14 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt into a medium bowl.
In a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment or in medium bowl with hand held mixer, beat butter on medium speed til fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium high til sugars are well incorporated and mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in crème fraiche and vanilla, then beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low, add sifted dry ingredients and beat just til mixed. Use a spatula to give batter a few good folds to make sure everything is incorporated.
Divide batter equally among muffin cups. Bake on middle rack til edges are puffed and set, and the center looks slightly undercooked but not raw, about 20 to 25 minutes. For coffee syrup, in small pan, mix coffee and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors. While brownies are still hot, brush them with the coffee syrup. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes
As they cool, the brownies will fall a bit in the middle which makes the perfect vessel for a dollop of the Ganache, about 1 tablespoon. The brownies are at their best when they're still warm and the chocolate is ooey gooey. Drizzle each brownie with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel. You can also drizzle them with salted caramel. These are edible sin. Makes 14 brownies
Sexy bittersweet Chocolate Ganache: 12 oz. chopped good quality bittersweet chocolate 14 Tbsp. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes 1/4 tsp. good sea salt, such as fleur de sel 1/4 cup light corn syrup In medium metal bowl, mix chocolate, butter, salt and corn syrup. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and heat, stirring til chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from heat. Use as a glaze for cakes, or let cool til spreadable and use as a frosting or filling. Ganache can be refrigerated for 1 week. To gently rewarm, heat in microwave on 50 percent power or put over a pan over barely simmering water and give it a good whisking.