Friday, March 7, 2008

Chocolate Brownies & Icing


I love the icing that I've paired with these brownies because it is so versatile! This is my favorite icing ever! This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of icing.


Chocolate Brownies


2/3 cup butter

5 oz bittersweet baking chocolate

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup walnuts

2 tbsp strong coffee or 1 tsp espresso powder


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 13 X 9 inch pan with shortening. Melt butter and chocolate in a sauce pan on the stove, over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes.

Beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs together on high for 5 minutes. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture on low. Then beat in flour just until it is blended. Do not overmix. Add walnuts & coffee then spread in pan.
Bake about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before applying icing. Cut and enjoy.




Buttercream Icing

1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla


With an electric mixer beat butter until light and fluffy. Then reduce the speed down to medium and add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Be warned that because of the airiness of the sugar it tends to fly around a bit. Scrape the bowl well after each addition or as necessary. Mix in the vanilla
in at this point. Increase speed to high and beat about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Icing Variations -


Chocolate Buttercream
- prepare Vanilla Buttercream as described above. Melt 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate on the stove top on low, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely before adding to the Buttercream.

Berry Buttercream
- prepare Vanilla Buttercream as described above. Mix in 3-4 tsp of your favorite berry jam. This isn't really suitable for these brownies, but they are fantastic on cupcakes! (but that's another entry!)

Chocolate Vegan Icing
#1 -

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp corn starch

4 tbsp cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

1 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla


Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cocoa in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in the water. Heat over medium until it gets thick and starts to boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes (make sure you don't boil too long, or it will set like toffee). Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla




Chocolate Vegan Icing #2 -

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cups corn starch

2 cups soy milk (i like to use vanilla flavored personally)

1/2 tsp vanilla (possibly omit if using vanilla soymilk)


In a medium sauce pan whisk together sugar and cocoa. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the corn starch and soy milk until no lumps are left then add that to the saucepan. Cook this over medium heat, scraping the bowl constantly, until the mixture is glossy, About 7 minutes or so. remove from heat and add the vanilla. Cool completely before adding to cupcakes.

7 comments:

Heather said...

hi jenny, that's really awesome you included vegan frosting recipes! i've never tried them your way so i'll give them a shot. i normally just take regular frosting recipes and replace the butter with earth balance margarine. works like a charm! anyway i'm a lurker over at softletters and i have a big soft spot (or see: obsession) with foodblogs so this is neat!

Olive said...

whoo hoo! if you need more vegan recipes let me know! i can dig up a few from the archives. im not vegan but i've got "leanings" as many of my friends are vegetarians/vegans

Amber said...

Ok Jenny...We have tried the Brownies AND the buttercream frosting...I took them over as an after dinner treat to a friends, and as my entire family was over as I was making them, the unanimos response was , "WOAH!" Tons of people asked me for your blog address which I happily handed over. They are fantastic. I did sub peanuts for the walnuts, as we are peanuts fanatics over here...but yes, hands down...this was a DEFINATE keeper!!!! Thank you so much!!! (Even picky-pants Solomon LOVED them...he was signing "more" like crazy!!! haha)

Olive said...

YEAH!! and heck yes peanuts would be a fine addition or substitution! im so glad you guys loved them.

Anonymous said...

Getting ready to make these for the 2nd time for a baby shower. I love being able to say, "yes! And they're made from scratch too!"

Olive said...

arent they awesome?!

Raksha said...

wonderful blog.

http://rakshaskitchen.blogspot.com