Mary Encingers Brownies Food

THE BEST BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
• Mix oil and sugar until well blended.
• Add eggs and vanilla; stir just until blended.
• Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Stir dry ingredients into the oil/sugar mixture.
• Pour into greased 9 x 9 square pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until sides just starts to pull away from the pan.
• Cool completely before cutting.
• Note: I usually double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. If you double the recipe, you will need to cook longer than 20 minutes.

S'MORES BROWNIES

Steps:

• For the graham cracker layer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side.
• Add the graham crackers, cinnamon, chili powder and salt to a food processor and pulse to break up. Add the butter and pulse until the ingredients are combined and the mixture resembles sand. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Refrigerate while you make the brownie layer.
• For the brownie layer: Combine the eggs, sugars and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Mix until well combined. Add the melted butter, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ancho chile powder and salt. Stir to combine, but take care to not overmix. Add the chocolate chips and fold in.
• Spread the entire brownie layer mixture over the top of the graham cracker crust. Bake until the top is dry and firm, about 40 minutes. (A cake tester will not come out clean because the brownies are so fudgy!) Let them cool completely.
• For the marshmallow frosting: Turn the oven to the broil setting. Adjust the oven rack so it's 6 inches from the heat source.
• Spread the mini marshmallows on an unlined sheet tray, then broil until toasty and charred, about 1 minute. (As an alternative, use a kitchen torch and char until you have your desired level of darkness.) Let cool to touch.
• Add the butter and powdered sugar to a bowl and beat until fluffy and well mixed. Add the marshmallow creme and vanilla and stir until combined. Set aside.
• Spread the marshmallow frosting over the top of the cooled brownie. Add the charred mini marshmallows all over.
• Remove from the pan and cut into squares.

FUDGEY BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
• Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl and mix until well combined; set aside.
• Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler, then whisk together until fully combined. Pour the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and mix until fully combined. Fold in the flour and cocoa.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

S'MORE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.
• For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes. Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE BROWNIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.
• Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.
• Remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
• While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
• Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board.
• Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar. They will look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You'll know it's ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you're there.
• Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.
• Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly.
• Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don't want to overdo this mixing.
• Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they're dotted throughout.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it.
• Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it's not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
• Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if you're using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you're using a normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles.
• They'll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.

MINCE PIE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium bowl, either in a microwave - cooking for 1 min on High, then stirring and continuing to heat in 20-second blasts - or by setting the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stirring occasionally. Once melted, leave the mixture to cool.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base of a shallow 20cm square tin with non-stick baking parchment. Sieve the flour and cocoa into a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on maximum speed until thick and creamy, about 3-8 mins, or when the mixture runs off the beaters and leaves a trail for a second or two.
• Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture, then fold together with a rubber spatula in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round until the mixture is a mottled dark brown. Be gentle so you don't knock out the air.
• Sift in the cocoa and flour mixture and continue gently folding. The mixture will look dry and dusty, then fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don't want to overmix it.
• Spoon a little mixture into the prepared tin, then add the mince pies, leaving them whole. Scrape over the rest of the mixture, gently easing it between and over the pies. Level the top. Put in the oven for 25 mins. If the brownie mixture is very wobbly in the middle, it's not quite done, so bake for another 5 -10 mins, or until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares. Will keep in an airtight container for a week and in the freezer for up to a month.

MARY ENCINGER'S BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and butter and stir. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring only until blended. Add the flour, vanilla and walnuts. Stir until all the ingredients are blended, but do not overmix. Transfer the mixture into the pan and shake to even out. Bake in the top half of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the center is firm to the touch.