Today is the day. Today I leave for Buenos Aires to go to college. This all seems too surreal to me. I mean, here I am packing my things, with everything ready, everything went perfectly well and according to the plan and yet, I still cannot believe I am leaving. My friends threw my a surprise goodbye party, then I threw another one, I have had the most fun in the  last week then ever, and I’ve also cried my good share. And still, I try to get a sense of reality, to get a grasp of what this actually means and I cannot achieve it.

I wanted this temporarily goodbye post to be about something great and classic, but that I hadn’t posted yet. I can’t believe it took me this long, seriously. These brownies are right there in the top 10 best things I’ve made. And these aren’t even my go-to favorite brownies. These are the ones I go to when I run out of good bar chocolate. Cause these have only cocoa powder, but don’t look down on them for that, these are INTENSE, really rich and decadent. If I hadn’t made them myself I wouldn’t have thought they didn’t have any melted chocolate. Easy and a favorite. I can swear to you, in my goodbye party they were gone in less then 3 minutes. Devoured. I could barely try them.

This post means that I won’t write for a while since I’m moving and everything will get awfully complicated, but I will come back with new recipes, and probably less time to make them when I start studying but still I will try my best and I am really excited to go to all the local bakeries I’ve heard so much about! Tons and tons of them and new exciting ingredients I can’t find here for the life of me (REAL, WHOLE vanilla beans? I think I might die) and create new recipes with DULCE DE LECHE because I will probably have it up my ears there. I am so thankful for everybody that supported me here and that will continue to do so in Argentina. I am sad to be leaving but the happiness overruns the sadness, thankfully 😀

These are easy, gooey, chewy, fudgy, soft and intense! I think I’d die if I had this with ice cream. But I LOVE them cold from the freezer. I know is weird but is easier to cut them that way. I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen but I think nos is probably everywhere. Mine came out a little different, more like regular brownies rather than just cocoa ones, but I have no idea why. Later on I will post my favorite recipe which is even better if there’s even room for that. Oh, and I almost forgot, I browned the butter, because DAH that makes these go from WOAH to F!#$%&G AMAZING

Best Cocoa Brownies
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

First, melt the butter by itself in a medium sauce pan and let it brown. It will take a couple of minutes and watch it closely so it doesn’t burn. At this point, add the sugar, cocoa, and salt and stir quickly. Take it off the heat and stir a little more to start cooling the mixture. You want it to be warm, not hot, before adding the eggs.  It looks really weird and gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges with a few crumbs on it, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into squares.

Thanks for everything you guys! I will be back as soon as possible, meanwhile enjoy 😉 I know I will!

Advertisement

Uncategorized

February 1, 2011

7 Comments