Brownies: Best Baked From Scratch
The weather in the East has been pretty crumby lately, so The Early Show resident chef Bobby Flay brought smiles to the staff in the form of brownies.
Although one could pick up a brownie mix from the grocery story, Flay says it's so much more fun to prepare brownies from scratch.
Flay shows how on Thursday's The Early Show.
Recipes
Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies with Milk Chocolate Frosting
Yields: 9 brownies
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
3 large eggs
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Frangelico or 2 teaspoons hazelnut extract
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Melt butter with chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, one at a time. Sift together flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and stir into batter with sugar and salt. Stir in the Frangelico and hazelnuts.
Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and a tester inserted into center comes out with crumbs adhering, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Frost with the milk chocolate frosting and cut into squares.
Milk Chocolate Frosting
5 ounces Lindt milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Italian hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate. In a small saucepan bring the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently whisk until smooth. Stir in the hazelnut liqueur, and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature until it is spreadable, about 1 hour.
Using a metal spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the brownies. Using a long serrated knife, cut the brownies into nine squares. Store in an airtight container.