In all honesty, the title of the post should actually be “The Best Chocolate Brownies You’ll Ever Make/Taste in Your Life”. But, for the sake of being rather non-dramatic, lets just stick to good old ‘Chocolate Brownies’. When it comes to basic recipes, like a butter cookie or a chocolate cake, having a tried and tested, fool-proof recipe is a must – the same applies to brownies. I have tried several brownie recipes before, ranging from a triple chocolate version, to a fudgy espresso version, and a super easy version – which have all been great products, but have never stood out as a fail safe recipe that I would want to go back to time and again for a batch of brownies.
But this one was is different. It has already managed to call out to me multiple times since the one batch I have baked, so much so that at least a dozen people have been made privy to a conversation surrounding these amazing brownies, at different times and places. The amount of chocolate (and not cocoa) that forms the base of these brownies really does the magic for me – the end product being rich, with a slight crumbly texture, but the focus being on the harmony of flavours and the honest good use of chocolate.
Finding that texture and that bliss in each bite is difficult as it is, and much harder when you forego an essential ingredient in brownies – eggs. The brownies that come out of this recipe are so perfectly textured – that not even a trained tongue would guess that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill egg doused brownie recipe – but uses homemade applesauce (yes, apple!) instead. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and what a delicious way to use that apple! {On a side note – please resist the urge to consume the whole batch of brownies in order to reach your 5 A Day goal 😛 }
My cheater’s way of making the apple sauce is actually more an apple stew – just peeled, cored and chopped up one apple, and stewed it with 4-5 tbs of water, until really soft and resonant of baby food. It took roughly 20 minutes on the stove for the apples to get really nice and saucy soft, but it demanded barely any attention at all, just a few stirs every 4 to 5 minutes = Homemade AppleSauce! [Update: Instead of applesauce, a few people have substituted cream cheese in the same proportion (1/2 cup), with perfect results.]
The best looking brownies are rumoured to be all glossy on the top, moist and fudgy inside, and deliriously chocolaty all over! My favourite bites are the corner crusty ones, where the brownie gets a little overdone and firmer than the amazing centre pieces, but both parts taste equally divine! Obviously, people always associate brownies with walnuts and vanilla ice cream. While I did serve some of this with vanilla ice cream, I haven’t attempted to alter the recipe with the addition of walnuts just yet, but who knows? Maybe someday soon! But honestly, this brownie is beautiful on its own, with no nuts or accompanying ice cream required. Just a steaming cappuccino and a healthy portion of a corner-crusty brownie square will guarantee a perked-up day!
While I almost never keep cookies and brownies in the refrigerator, this one specially needs to remain in the fridge, and lasts for over a week in there – just bring down to room temperature before serving. If you are gutsy and store it outside the fridge, bear in mind that since these brownies are super moist, it may get messy cutting and serving them unless they are decently chilled.
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks/chips (I used a mix of different brands of semi sweet)
- 45gm unsalted butter (if using salted, skip the salt above)
- 1/2 cup applesauce (ready sauce works wonderfully, but if you don't have some, you can make your own using the recipe given above)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbs hot water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 180*c and line a greased 8" square or 8" by 10" rectangular baking tray with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with butter or cooking spray. Thats right - both the tray and the paper are greased, and once the brownies are out of the oven you will definitely be thankful for the greasing!
- Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt).
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter and the chocolate. Be sure to keep a close eye so ensure the mixture doesn't burn. This should take approximately 1 minute. Whisk till smooth and glossy.
- In a small bowl, mix together the balance ingredients (applesauce, sugar, hot water, vanilla) until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in with the chocolate mixture, and add the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula, transfer to the prepared baking tin and bake for 25-30 minutes till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Leave to cool on a cooling rack, and transfer the tin to the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before lifting out the parchment paper and attempting to cut the brownies with a large sharp knife.
