Luxury Brownies (with secret recipe)
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Dearest readers, this week I’d like to share with you my secret recipe for BROWNIES that I sell on my stall.
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The Brownies War:
As you can imagine, brownies being so popular, there are many stalls selling them at my market (I counted ten stalls/ shops). It’s big headed of me to say this I know, but, I’m proud to say that mine always sell-out no problem. I make tonnes of it too - about 30 chunky slices per week - & on a week when I know the business will be good (ie: sunny weekends, & Christmas weekend), I make 40 - 50 slices, & they still go.
Because of this, I briefly debated wether to share this recipe online like this, but…, what the heck, I’ve got enough ‘regulars’ devoted to mine, & it’s competitively priced. Even if someone do a copycat, I’m confident that it won’t affect my sales!
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The history of Brownies:
Obviously, the name comes from the colour of this cookie/ cake. The origins, on the otherhand, is uncertain - but folklore has it that it was created by accident by a careless cook who’d forgotten to add baking powder to the chocolate cake. (Many origins of cakes are invented by careless cooks! Tarte Tatin was also created similarly.)
The first brownie recipe was published by Fannie Merrit Farmer in 1896, which calls for a nut tobe embedded in the centre. All early brownies contained chopped nuts too.
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LUXURY BROWNIES RECIPE
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These brownies are ’seriously’ the BEST. I can assure you. Wanna know why? Because it’s got plenty of delicious nuts (pistachio, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans) in them, & it is double chocolatey, as it uses both cocoa & solid chocolates in the recipe - which is unusual, when most recipes call for just ‘either or’.
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Texture: moist, dense & fudgy.
Difficulty: easy as pie.
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Ingredients:
230g Butter, roughly cubed
300g Sugar (Granulated or Castor)
200g Whole eggs (approximately four) whisked up
230g Dark Chocolate - in small pellet form or chopped finely so it melts quickly
140g Flour
40g Cocoa Powder
200g of nuts of your choice (pistachio, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans - You can use just one type or use all four types like I do. They add different crunchy textures to every fudgy bite, which makes the brownie interesting til the last bite)
20cm square baking tin
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Prepare:
a. Butter the baking tin. Then line the bottom & the sides with baking paper.
b. Sift together the flour & the cocoa powder.
c. Have the chocolates ready in a large mixing bowl.
d. Leave aside some nuts to decorate the surface of the brownies with (in my opinion, walnuts look best).
e. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
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Method:
1. Melt the butter completely in a large pot.
2. Add the sugar. Dissolve.
3. Pour the egg mixture & mix well with a whisk (make sure the hot butter doesn’t cook the egg in to an omlette).
4. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolates in a bowl. Mix thoroughly & make sure all the chocolates have dissolved (if you still have lumps of chocolates left, zap it at 10 second intervals in the microwave until it melts).
5. Spatula in the flour & the cocoa powder. Mix until no traces of flour can be seen.
6. Mix in the nuts. (Make sure you leave some aside for decorating the top with).
7. Pour the mixture in to the prepared tin.
8. Evenly decorate some more nuts on the top surface. (Make sure each slice would have a decorative nut)
9. Bake in the oven (that has been pre-heated at 180 degrees) for 25 - 30 minutes. It’s cooked when the edges have gone slightly dry, the top is shiny & has cracked. The centre of the brownie shoudn’t be wobbly when shook. Remember: the toothpick method won’t work on this fudgy brownie!
10. Leave aside to cool. Don’t cut until they’ve reached room temperature, or even better leave it untouched for a WHOLE DAY to rest - I can promise you, it’ll taste better tenfold.
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Note:
This recipe is versatile - instead of nuts, you can put pretty much anything in there - like dried fruit such as dried cherries, or fresh fruits like raspberry. Baking is meant to be fun & so don’t go out-of-your-way to buy the nuts if you haven’t got it (as nuts can be expensive). Use whatever that is in your store cupboard & experiment! like, be creative with sliced almonds & spell a letter on the surface!
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Those brownies look outta this world Tamami!
I’ve just returned home from an hour in the gym and would kill (had I the energy spare), for a slab of that brown joy right now. I don’t suppose you home deliveries……? Love to all
Comment by martyn - March 5, 2007 9:59 pm
I’m missing a ‘do’ there. please forgive me.
Comment by martyn - March 5, 2007 10:00 pm
Giggle…! Oh my dearest Martyn!! How we miss your humour & company… Promise us you’d visit soon, alright?! Love, t xxx
Comment by Tamami - March 5, 2007 10:05 pm
Thanks for the kind words Tamami. You truly are as sweet as your creations (does Dirk read this?) :0 Hi Dirk (the boyfriend)
It would be a joy to experince your boundless hospitality once more, so consider your invitation accepted. x
Comment by martyn - March 5, 2007 10:26 pm
T,
No call again from you or Claire this week so I thought I’d try your recipe out to see me through next week. (Don’t worry I’m not about to stop being a customer!) I made a cherry and macadamia nut version which were good. . . but not quiet great.
I had them in the oven for 25mins but I think they were a bit over done. I have a fan oven, maybe this is why?
B.
Comment by Barny - March 18, 2007 7:56 pm
Hi there barny!
Yeah, last Saturday was fantastic in terms of sales & sold out no problem! Ofcourse, I’d be calling you if there were any…
Cherry & macademia nut combo sounds tasty!!
Once, my brownies & cakes used to be over-done, because my old oven was not precise with the temperature - ie; I’d set it at 180 degrees, but inside it is 190… Since then, I bought an oven thermometer , and have figured out what exactly my oven temperature is inside. So maybe I can suggest you get one too?
My stupid old oven also had ‘heat-spots’, & would be hotter in just one end of the oven… which cause my cakes to brown more on just that side… it is very annoying…
It shouldn’t be a problem wether it is a fan oven I think - mine is also a fan oven too!
Good Luck with your next batch!
Comment by Tamami - March 18, 2007 9:50 pm
Hi Tamami
Thanks you so much for sharing your brownie recipe. I used to have a fantastic recipie a few years back, but then I lost it and I’ve been trying to find a replacement one ever since, and I think yours just about fits the bill. I made some almond brownies at the weekend, and they are so yummy :-)
I also have a problem with oven temperature and keep forgetting to buy myself an oven thermometer. Can you imagine, the oven in our house doesn’t even have all the usual temperature markings on the dial, just 175 and then it jumps to 200, and then 225! So I have to guess where to set it each time, it’s a bit hit and miss!
Kate
x
Comment by Kate - March 21, 2007 5:09 pm
Hi Kate! Thanks for trying the recipe! I’m glad you liked it. Yeah, getting the temperature right in the oven is pretty much the most vital part of the baking process - if you wanna see the fruits of your labour - so it really is important to get an oven thermometer!
It takes the guessing out!
Comment by Tamami - March 21, 2007 6:15 pm
Hi Tamami,
I’m a newcomer to your blog and I love that you are sharing your tried and true recipes. I’m a baker (muffins mainly) in my hometown in Ireland and when I started a blog I was unsure about posting my recipes too. But I figured if someone wanted to get up half an hour before they went to bed to bake for a living then they have my blessing.
Looking forward to future posts!
Comment by Laura - March 26, 2007 7:54 pm
Hello Laura!! Wow, thank you for visiting my blog! It’s nice to get a fellow foodie blogger to comment here! I’ve visited your blog & it seems like we have many other things in common too - like doing small scale catering business aswell as being a mummy. - Good luck!!
Comment by tamami - March 26, 2007 8:21 pm
Hello there! I just discovered your blog through the Delicious Days link and loved it! It is really amazing that you shared your perfected secret recipe. I love the fact that everything happens in just one pot. Cleaning up takes a lot of time. It is also very helpful that you provided step by step pictures. Many thanks again! I will stop by frequently…
Cenk
Comment by Cenk - March 27, 2007 10:29 pm
Dear Cenk, thank you for your lovely words! I’ve just visited your site & noticed that you’ve included mine in your list of blogs!! Hey, thanks! And your swan choux pastry looks gorgeous - it’s something I’ve been meaning to try myself (I think it’ll look great on my stall), so it was a very interesting read indeed!
Comment by Tamami - March 27, 2007 11:01 pm
Hi Tamami,
I found your recipe through The Guardian’s website - and it looks fab! I’m usually more of a Spicy Plum or Apple & Sultana Cake kinda gal but feel it’s time I went back to brownies! I’ll be popping to the shop to stock up on a variety of nuts, then will have all I need to give your recipe a try. Fingers crossed they’re at least nearly as good as yours!
Katie
Comment by Katie - June 5, 2007 8:42 am
Thank you Katie for your kind words! Good luck with the baking!
Comment by Tamami - June 5, 2007 9:29 am
I might just need to fly to England to try these! They look so yummy and have all my favorite nuts in them. London for a brownie? If people fly to California for an In-Out burger, I can fly for a brownie. :)
Comment by Jerry - June 12, 2007 2:54 pm
Hi ya Jerry. thanx! I’m glad a proffesional photographer like youself think that my brownies look good in my picture. I’m so crap at photography, I worry that I’m not doing these brownies any justice…! If only these brownies had wings, to fly to you in the States, so that you can take a picture instead of me!
Comment by tamami - June 12, 2007 6:38 pm
Great looking brownies there and I believe must be yummy too! Can’t wait to bake the brownies myself. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Comment by Sharon - October 23, 2007 1:09 pm
Hi there Sharon! Thanks!
Comment by tamami - October 23, 2007 10:06 pm
Hi Tamami,
I’ve tried this brownie recipe many times and it never fails to impress others and myself with the gooey texture! Really fudgey! my kinda thing:)
The only thing that happens all the time is that even after leaving the baked brownies to rest for the whole day, the centre comes out as very soft and seems uncooked. Is it supposed to be like that?
joanne
Comment by joanne - October 26, 2007 2:09 pm
Hi Joanne! Thanks for trying out the recipe!
- About the centre being uncooked - I can only guess, since I’m not there with you to see - but could it be that you are making a thick brownie?? The best thickness I find is about 2cm… Or what about pre-heating the oven prior to baking??… I hope this is any help at all… let me kn0w if not, and I’ll try to think abit more!! ;-)
Comment by tamami - October 26, 2007 5:33 pm
Hi Tamami, I’ve been a silent reader of your blog…. enjoying all your bakes virtually! A pity that I’m half a globe away :D
Kudos to you for being such a nice and generous lady who share your very detailed recipes even though you are selling your bakes! I’m just a novice baker so hope to learn more from you!
Cheers!
Comment by Cindy - November 14, 2007 3:45 am
Hey Cindy! thanks! And thanks for writing a comment! I never really know who reads my blog, so it’s always nice to hear from the readers!
Comment by tamami - November 14, 2007 6:16 pm
hi Tamimi,
Don’t worry about copycats, they existed but tastes would be different!
I have friends & relatives who asked me for recipes after tasting my cooking but they always returned to me saying it’s not the same as mine even when I gave the recipes in detail plus tips & tricks… WHY? well, I think the simplest answer is.. LOVE…
It’s your own creations/adaptations and the hours of sadness, headaches,tiredness, sleepless even, you poured in to achieve the end results. All those mixes turned to Love that you put into your baking! Copycats can’t achieve that… :-) So, never think that you will loose customers. I can tell you that you will gain more instead!
arigato gozaimashita for sharing the recipes!
Take care!
pixen
Comment by pixen - February 5, 2008 11:20 pm
Hello Pixen!
Thank you for your lovely comment.
I know what you mean by foods turning out differently even though from the same recipe! Aswell as “love” for it, I think it’s also got to do with how often you’ve been making it - I really think my ‘flour-less chocolate cake’ (for example) tastes different from 2 years ago!
Comment by tamami - February 6, 2008 9:22 pm