Up until I got to college - I always used premade mixes whenever I baked anything. Yes, I did always doctor up my cake mixes with extracts and toppings - but essentially they still came from a box. It was only when I got to college that I started really baking everything from scratch. This was when I really got into food and started reading blogs obsessively and caring about what I ate. And I found that making things from scratch always proved a lot more rewarding and delicious than a boxed mix. Plus, i like knowing that the things I bake have only the simplest ingredients - eggs, butter, sugar, flour and chocolate and not things like preservatives or partially hydrogenated oils.
I do have a guilty pleasure though - I love the texture of brownies from the mix. It always bakes up perfectly with a nice chewy consistency and fudgy flavor. Me and lilly had some a couple of weeks ago from the bake sale and we just could not stop eating them! I spread some peanut butter frosting over it and was amazed at how good it was. So yes, I know that chewiness was probably achieved through some combination of chemicals but damn that shit was good!
So even though every time I make brownies, I make them from scratch, if there happens to be a plate of boxed brownies around, I would not be opposed to eating ALL OF THEM!!
My Guilty Pleasure:)
I do have a go to brownie recipe that is delicious though. If you're gonna have only one brownie recipe, I suggest you use this one. Dense, rich with a nice crackly top, these brownies from the Baked guys in Brooklyn really have it all. And if you're feeling extra indulgent, drizzle them with some salted caramel, dark chocolate and white chocolate like I did.
Adapted from Baked:New Frontiers in Baking
Baked Note
A great brownie is easy to make, but here are a few pointers: (1) Use a dark unsweetened cocoa powder like Valrhona. A pale, lightcolored cocoa does not have enough depth. (2) Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, and do not overbeat them into the batter. (3) Check your brownies often as they bake. An even slightly overbaked brownie is not a Baked Brownie.
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.
Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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