Brown Butter Brownies Recipes

BROWN BUTTER BROWNIES - THE BEST BROWNIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. You can also line it with aluminum foil (be sure to spray the foil with nonstick spray). Or you can just spray the pan.
• In a medium pot (I use a 3 quart saucepan), melt 1 and 1/4 cups of butter over medium heat. Yes, 1 and 1/4 cup. I called these the best brownies of all time, not healthy brownies!
• Stir the butter occasionally. See photos for how to brown butter. It will turn white on top, then it will foam up. Once it is foamy, it will start forming brown colored milk solids or "bits". They will swirl up when you stir. The scent of the butter will change to a "nutty" or toffee like aroma. Once you see brown bits, remove the pan from the heat. Do not stop cooking the butter until it is completely browned, see note.
• Immediately add 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate. Break it up into pieces so that they melt faster. Stir until it is melted all the way.
• Add 2 and 1/2 cups sugar and stir it together. If there are still bits of chocolate that have not melted, put it back on the burner on low until it is smooth.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon water, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir it together.
• Whisking vigorously so they don't curdle in the hot batter, stir in the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. I highly recommend an actual whisk for this step; a wooden spoon won't break up the egg whites as well.
• Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled. That means take a large spoon and add flour to your measuring cup, then level off the top with something flat like a butter knife. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just barely incorporated.
• Do not over mix. Over-mixed batter makes for a tough brownie, which is not what we're going for. You want soft, tender brownies! Once you don't see any more flour streaks, stop messing with it.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread to the edges.
• Sprinkle 1 and 1/4 cups chocolate chips evenly over the batter. Use your spatula to gently fold it in. If you add the chocolate chips to the batter before pouring it into the pan, they tend to melt and swirl on you. Which might be okay with you. I prefer my chocolate to stay in chip form so that when you bite into a brownie you get tiny little pools of chocolate. Mmm.
• Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. The edges should be set. The center of the pan should not wobble when you shake it. I always do the toothpick test: poke a toothpick in the center of the brownies and if there is no wet batter sticking to it, it's done. (If there is, leave it in for a couple more minutes) Be sure to poke a couple times so that you know you're not poking into a melted chocolate chip. Every oven is different, so you are going to have to use your best judgment here on the bake time! Do NOT over bake, or the brownies will be too dry. In my opinion, slightly under baked is better than over baked. Keep in mind that the brownies will firm up as they cool.
• When the brownies are done, remove from the oven and let cool as long as you can before giving in and trying a piece. If you need them to look nice, you need to let them set up in the pan for at LEAST 15-30 minutes.
• To cut these into nice looking squares, once the brownies have cooled, lift the parchment paper or foil out of the pan. Cut with a sharp knife, wiping the knife on a clean wet towel in between slices.
• These are almost impossible to eat without a glass of milk.

BROWN BUTTER BROWNIES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably metal, with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides. Lightly coat with nonstick spray.
• Cook the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside and let cool slightly.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat the eggs and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until the eggs begin to foam, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and continue to beat on high until slightly thickened and creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly pour in the cooled butter (it should still be fluid, but below 125 degrees F or you will cook the eggs) on the side of the bowl so it doesn't splatter. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. This step is what will give you that shiny, crackled surface on the top of your brownies. Gradually add the cocoa powder mixture and beat until just combined (do not overmix). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue folding the batter until completely combined.
• Scrape half of batter into the prepared pan. Top with the chocolate, then scrape in the remaining batter to cover and smooth the surface. Bake until the top forms a crust, the brownies are just barely firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers between 200 degrees F (for fudgy brownies) and 205 degrees F (for cakey brownies), about 25 minutes; or up to 35 minutes, if using a glass or ceramic baking dish. (Don't let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan or you will get a much higher reading.)
• Let the brownies cool completely to allow the crumb to set before slicing, 3 hours.
• Use an offset spatula to loosen the brownies from the sides of the pan. Use the parchment overhang to lift brownies out of the pan and cut into 12 squares.

BROWN BUTTER BLONDIES

Steps:

• First, brown the butter: Place it in a medium saucepan over low heat to cook. Check it after about 10 minutes; it should be a medium-brown color (not too light, not too burned). Once it reaches that color, take it off the heat and let it cool.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cooled brown butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Fold in the walnuts and white chocolate chips.
• Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake the blondies for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs stuck to it (I like these blondies gooey, so I go with a little less time). Let cool completely on a wire rack, then cut them and wrap individually in plastic wrap so the sides don't dry out. Store in the freezer or at room temperature.