It’s our first snowfall of the year. Time to make hot cocoa Chocolate Souffle Brownies! Before we begin, however, I feel compelled to list my resolutions for 2015, so that I can put them away, and never think about them again. I’m kidding. I’m in it to win it. Here goes:
- Read at least one book a month.
- Do 20 minutes of yoga everyday.
- Put my phone, computer and ipad away when playing with my boys.
- Make a list of my resolutions. (Hey, I did this one!)
- Give beets one more chance to prove themselves.
- Learn how to market the blog, so that it’s not just you reading this, Mommy.
- Run a half marathon.
- Do something nice for a stranger.
- Bake and decorate a three tiered wedding cake, and then have a party centered around said cake. Invite friends and family and serve reasonably priced, but good champagne.
- Figure out what champagne is good. And at a reasonable price.
These chocolate souffle brownies are delectable. They are chocolate-y, melt-in-your-mouth, light-as-a-feather, delicious brownies that are topped with a thick layer of baked mousse. I got this recipe from Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg. Brownies are easy to make, almost as easy as making the boxed version. What gives the brownies their fudgey texture is the ratio between sugar to flour. More sugar makes them more fudge-like, and more flour makes them more cake-like.
Let’s do this. First mix a mixture of warm melted chocolate and butter into sugar and a little salt.
Whisk in vanilla extract and 3 eggs.
Mix in the flour.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
To make the mousse topping, whisk 3 eggs and sugar until pale and foamy.
Pour boiled cream over chopped chocolate to make a chocolate ganache.
Whisk the egg mixture with the chocolate ganache and then pour the mixture on top of the brownie batter.
Bake in a 325 degree F. oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top has set. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 1 hour before removing. When ready, cut into 1 and 1/2 inch squares.
Go sledding.
These brownies are decadent. They are dense and fudgey on the bottom, with a light, airy mousse on top. And my mom said they’re the best brownies she’d ever eaten, so…
- 3 and ½ oz. (100 g) Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped
- 10 TBS (140 g) Unsalted Butter, softened and cut into 10 pieces
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1/8 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (63 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 oz. (56 g) Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped
- 4 oz. (114 g) Semi-sweet Chocolate, chopped
- 3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 5 TBS (65 g) Sugar
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment and then grease the parchment. Set aside.
- Pour the sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Be sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Once melted and smooth, remove the bowl from the heat.
- Pour the hot melted chocolate into the bowl with the sugar and whisk until combined and the sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes). Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs together, then add them to the chocolate mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and keep mixing until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour and mix until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl for 2 minutes, and then stir the chocolate mixture until smooth.
- In a medium-sized bowl, and using a hand-held mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until paler in color and foamy (about 3 minutes).
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and mix at medium-low speed until well blended.
- Pour the topping over the brownie batter. Tip the sides of the pan so that it spreads evenly.
- Bake the brownies for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top has set. Once done, cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before cutting. Use a thin, sharp knife that has been heated in hot water (but dried) to cut out 1 and ½ inch squares.
- Leave the brownies in the pan, at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap for up to 1 day. After that, layer them in an airtight plastic container and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
- Hand-held mixer
- 9-inch square baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
