Chocolate, almond and white chocolate brownies

I love how our mind works and how we automatically connect certain words. Like “frogs = gross” or “Tom Cruise = weird”. In this case, the word “delicious” instantly popped into my head when I saw Haalo’s chocolate, almond and white chocolate brownies.

The idea of a brownie + my favorite nut + my oh, so loved white chocolate sounded just fantastic. And after trying these I think that the person who came up with it should get a statue or something. Yes, they are that good.

Chocolate, almond and white chocolate brownies

125g softened butter, cut into small cubes
110g caster sugar
2 eggs
55g ground almonds/almond meal
65g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa
125g dark chocolate, melted – I used one with 51% cocoa solids
110g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/340ºF; grease and line a 20cm/8inch square cake pan – leave extra paper hanging out of the pan, forming “handles”, and it will be easier to unmold the brownies. Grease the paper as well.

Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa together and set aside.
Place the softened butter and sugar into the bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next.
Sprinkle the almond meal over the mixture and fold through using a rubber spatula. Next add the sifted ingredients and stir through.

Pour over the melted chocolate and mix this through before finally adding the white chocolate chunks.
Spoon this out evenly into the prepared pan - you may need to use the back of a spoon to smooth out the surface.
Bake for about 40 minutes - the surface should be cooked but there should still feel springy to the touch.

Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes 9 large brownies

Chocolate and pistachio brownies

I have so many recipes on my del.icio.us that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cook them all! And I’m always adding more recipes to it, so yes, it will be pretty much impossible.

Sara had a great idea – she was cooking a recipe from her del.icio.us once a week and I have been thinking about doing that too. Let’s see if I can keep up with it! :)

One of those million recipes was the one for these delicious brownies; the idea of using pistachios instead of the usual suspects - walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts - sounded really good to me. And these are exactly that: really good.

I accidentally underbaked the brownies but it was OK – I had trouble trying to cut them, but they were so intensely fudgy that it was worth it.

A storm made it difficult for me to photograph my brownies (no light!), so make sure you check Michelle’s – and while you are there, go ahead the check her other recipes, too. They are wonderful!

Chocolate and pistachio brownies

100g (4oz) pistachios
100g (4oz) unsalted butter
100g (4oz) dark chocolate (70%), broken into small chunks
2 eggs
225g (8oz) granulated sugar
50g (scant 2oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Line an 18×28cm (7×11in) pan with baking parchment, allowing the paper to come 2cm/1in above the pan; grease the paper or coat with cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Chop the nuts roughly so they’re still quite chunky and roast them in the preheated oven for 8 minutes, timed*. Remove from heat and spread the pistachio over a clean, dry kitchen towel. Set aside. Meanwhile put the butter and chocolate in a metal/glass bowl placed over a pan half-filled with barely simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt, then beat until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the other ingredients, including the nuts, until thoroughly mixed.
Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until it is slightly springy in the middle. Take the brownies out of the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into about 15 squares. Use a palette knife to transfer to a wire cooling rack and serve when cool or still just slightly warm.

* This step is optional. Add the pistachios without roasting or use already roasted nuts (but unsalted).

Makes 15 – I got 12 larger brownies

I'm back! With really nice brownies

I’m back from my trip and all I can say is that I’ve had the time of my life. Something that I had wanted to do forever, a dream come true.

I want to thank you all for your best wishes and your words - it's fantastic to know I have so many great friends!

Now I’m back home and back at work too, but haven’t cooked anything different. I haven’t baked either. Luckily, I made these brownies a few days before my trip, as a gift for my dentist and his assistants (the same people I baked these cookies for) and by the look on their face when they received the boxes (especially the girls, I have a feeling that maybe my dentist thinks I'm trying to ruin their teeth with all those sweets) I am almost sure they liked it. :)

These brownies are really, really good. Simple, quick to put together, but the result will surprise you in a wonderful way. I used a recipe from this book (hey, Bri!!) and adapted a little the types of chocolate used.

It’s good to be back and I can’t wait to see what you all have been cooking and baking – looking forward to visiting your blogs and catching up!

Classic Brownies
from Baking: From My Home to Yours

5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
112g (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
56g (2 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¾ cup (150g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional, I used it)
¼ - ½ teaspoon salt (according to taste, I used ¼)
1/3 cup (47g) all purpose flour
1 cup (115g) chopped walnuts

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF. Line a 20cm (8-inch)* square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chocolates and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted - you don’t want them to get to shot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
With a whisk, stir in the sugar. Don’t be concerned when your smooth mixture turns grainy. One by one, whisk in the eggs. Add the vanilla and give the ingredients a vigorous whisking before gently stirring tin the espresso, if you’re using it, salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped walnuts.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the brownies for room temperature.
When the brownies are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board – if you do this, the cracked top might be ruined. I preferred to use longer foil pieces, forming “handles” in the baking pan – then I just lifted the whole thing, placed onto a cutting board and cut the brownies, removing them carefully from the foil.
Cut into 16 squares.

* I used a 25cm square pan so my brownies were a bit flat.

Makes 16