2.29.16

Party Dress: Chocolate Glazed Fudge Brownies

This is a follow-up to my post “The Brownie Lesson: Triple-Chocolate Nut Brownies” (1.25.16), where the brownies are very home-y and kid-friendly. In this post, the brownies are glazed and garnished: all dressed up for a party.

When deciding how to decorate a dessert or batch of brownies for a party, it’s an easy leap for me to think of the project at hand in terms of dresses, fabrics, and the jewelry or fashion accessories that you might wear with dresses. One of the first jobs in my working career was as a dress buyer for a large department store in Texas. This involved traveling to New York every few weeks to shop the dress market, and putting together a nice assortment for the store. As I went from showroom to showroom, I loved looking at all of the dresses, especially the party dresses. Carefully inspecting all of the ruffles, sequins, beading, buttons and bows, and other fancy trims and flourishes, (color, fabric, texture, and price were also considerations) I would have to decide which designs to buy. It was such fun!

It is the same for desserts or brownies, you have to decide what “dress” you want them to wear. Where are your brownies going? Should they wear a “Little Black Dress”, a “Sassy Red Cocktail Dress”,  or “Sexy Little Striped Sheath”? Maybe something all decked out in “Ruffles”? Or, maybe a simple dress with “A String of Pearls” or a single piece of “Gold Jewelry”? Here are my tips on how to dress a brownie for a party.

 

Chocolate Glazed Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Glazed Fudge Brownies

 

 

CHOCOLATE GLAZED FUDGE BROWNIES: ALL DRESSED UP FOR A PARTY

 

Here are some “party dress” garnishes for brownies:

23k Edible Gold Leaf

23k Edible Gold Flakes

Dark Chocolate “Crispearls”

Milk Chocolate “Crispearls”

White Chocolate “Crispearls”

Melted Chocolate: Dark, Milk & White

Fresh Plump Raspberries

Fine Chocolate Cake Crumbs

 

 

 

CUTTING THE BROWNIES:

 

 

Glazed Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Glazed Chocolate Fudge Brownies

 

 

 

Chocolate Glazed Fudge Brownies
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AUTHOR:
This is a brownie recipe that I have made many times, both professionally and at home. When making professionally, they were usually one selection from an assortment of different bar cookies creating a dessert buffet for a catering function or special event, such as a wedding rehearsal party, or part of a wedding dessert buffet itself. For these events, I would drizzle them with white or milk chocolate, or add garnishes such as gold leaf or Callebaut Crispearls®, or top them with a raspberry, all to make them just a little fancier. They look beautiful when all dressed up for a party. Decorate as you like and create your own party!

YIELD: 24 - 2-INCH SQUARES - 75 g (2½ oz) EACH
ONE QUARTER SHEET PAN - 9½" x 13"
INGREDIENTS

  • BROWNIES:
  • 170 grams bittersweet chocolate (1¼ - 4 oz. bars - Ghiradelli 60% Cacao)
  • 60 grams unsweetened chocolate (1/2 - 4 oz. bar - Ghiradelli 100% Cacao)
  • 170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks)
  • 200 grams eggs (4 large)
  • 350 grams sugar (1½ cups)
  • 10 grams vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
  • 120 grams all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)
  • 5 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)
  • 135 grams chocolate chips (3/4 cup Ghiradelli or Nestlé)
  • 115 grams walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (1 cup) - optional

  • 1335 grams = Total 47 oz (2# 15 oz)

  • BROWNIE GLAZE:
  • 225 grams extra bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (2 - 4oz. bars - Ghiradelli 70% cacao)
  • 75 grams unsalted butter (5 Tablespoons)
  • 75 grams light corn syrup (scant ¼ cup)
  • 150 grams heavy cream (1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons)

  • 525 grams = Total 18 oz (1# 2 oz)

  • 1860 grams = TOTAL BROWNIES + GLAZE 65 oz (About 4#)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. FOR THE BROWNIES: Prep the pan; line a quarter sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam (with flour). The foil makes it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan to cut.
  2. MELT the chocolate with the butter, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth, using a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and let the chocolate cool to room temperature. Or, melt chocolate and butter in microwave at 50% power.
  3. WHISK eggs until well beaten, in a bowl large enough to hold all of the batter..
  4. STIR in the sugar and vanilla.
  5. MIX in the flour and salt, stirring with a whisk, until the mixture is just combined.
  6. STIR in the chocolate chips and the nuts. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl and mix in, using a rubber spatula.
  7. POUR the batter into the pan and spread evenly, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.
  8. BAKE in 350º F (177° C) oven approximately 32-35 minutes total, or until a wooden skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering to it. Rotate pan after 20 minutes of baking. (Don't allow to bake until tester comes out clean or the brownies will be over-baked and too dry.) Watch closely and test often towards the end of the baking time. Let cool slightly before glazing.
  9. MAKE BROWNIE GLAZE while brownies are baking. Combine chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a medium stainless steel bowl set over a sauce pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted. Heat the cream to a simmer in small pan, then whisk hot cream into melted chocolate until smooth. Allow the glaze to rest 15 minutes.
  10. GLAZE BROWNIES: Spread warm glaze on warm brownies, using an offset spatula. Continue cooling to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator until the glaze is set or freeze overnight; either way, leave uncovered.
  11. CUT BROWNIES into 2" squares when cold or partially frozen. I prefer to freeze the brownies overnight and cut the next day, which will give you the neatest looking brownies with sharp edges. TO CUT, lift brownies out of the pan holding onto the foil, place on a cutting board and peel away the foil from the sides of the brownies so that it lays flat. Cut into 2" wide crosswise strips, measured with a C-thru ruler, using a long thin slicing knife. Then cut each strip into 2" pieces, creating 2" squares.
Recipe Ancestry Notes:
The brownie recipe was adapted from "Triple-Chocolate Fudge Brownies": Gourmet Magazine (September 1992). The "Brownie Glaze" was adapted from Chocolatier Magazine (October 1997).
 

Chocolate Glazed Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Glazed Fudge Brownies

Thanks for Stopping by. Enjoy!

Shirl