On-the-Fence Black Cocoa Brownies

January 3, 2012

So….I know it’s the beginning of January and many of you are dieting, or at least being a bit more mindful of the food you’re eating. Here’s the thing though. My mother-in-law, bless her heart, gave me black cocoa for Christmas. You know I can’t wait until February (chocolate month around here!) to make brownies with this new (to me!) and exciting ingredient. I’ve actually made brownies twice in the last week. The first time I made these Brown Butter Cocoa Brownies with Walnuts from The Red Spoon. They were quite good. I got distracted and over-baked them by a few minutes though. Which is sorta a travesty in the world of brownies. They were perfect right out of the oven but then they hardened up a little. Loved how full of walnuts they were!

I tried again using a second recipe, variety is the spice of my recipe life you know:-) This time I tried the King Arthur Flour recipe for On-the-Fence Brownies which claims to be the best of both worlds…cakey and fudgy! I have to say, they are totally right on here. Normally I would opt for fudgy every time but these brownies were a perfect texture. Despite my penchant for never making a recipe twice this one will make the repeater file for sure!

 On-the-Fence Black Cocoa Brownies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup dutch-process cocoa
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa*
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (6 ounces)
  • 1 tsp. espresso powder
In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat briefly, just until it’s hot, but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir. By heating this mixture a second time you will dissolve more of the sugar, yielding that amazing shiny top crust on your brownies.
Stir in the cocoa, black cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour, chips, and espresso powder, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

Bake the brownies in a preheated 350°F oven for 28 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel barely set in the center. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving. Good luck with that:-)

*This black cocoa has to become a new pantry staple for me! It was really good. I would definitely recommend it. That said, I’m sure substituting for another cocoa would still yield delicious results!

Recipe from King Arthur Flour.

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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Gail - the mother-in--law January 3, 2012 at 1:40 pm

When I saw “on-the-fence” I knew you were headed to King Arthur’s recipe. It is the best I’ve ever found, hands down – even without specialty ingredients. Glad you enjoyed the gift – I look forward to enjoying it soon.

Becky January 3, 2012 at 3:33 pm

You know I have them in the freezer for you! I’m not above a fresh batch either;-)

Lauren January 3, 2012 at 6:48 pm

These look so dark and delicious! Mmmm….I could eat the whole pan!

Becky January 3, 2012 at 9:28 pm

Thanks Lauren! I may have had…um…a few.

Linda January 4, 2012 at 11:13 am

Hmmmm…these sound perfect with the addition of espresso and chocolate chips. Thanks for posting! Brownies are the one treat that don’t last long in my kitchen. Happy New Year!

Becky January 4, 2012 at 11:26 am

Thanks Linda! Happy New Year to you as well!

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