Recipe of the week: Triple Layer Brownies

These are by far the most decadent thing I make, therefore I don't make them very often.  I've been making this for several years now, and over time have modified the recipe a bit.  

The original recipe called for unsalted butter in the brownie layer, but as you may recall, I'm a big fan of the sweet and salty thing, I use regular butter.  If you use unsalted, you'll need to add 1/4 tsp of salt.  Since there is only 1 cup of flour you could easily make these gluten free by using almond or coconut flour, or whatever else you might use.  I also reduced the amount of unsweetened chocolate in the glaze to just 2 oz instead of 4.  (You can use the 4 oz if you like, or even try semi sweet.) 

I made these today for my oldest daughter's 21st birthday.  We will probably have them with some vanilla bean ice cream, if I get to the store.  These also go well with coffee or an after dinner coffee cocktail.  Cut them into small pieces, I'm often told these are too rich....which there is no such thing, in my book, haha!   Let me know what you think....even though these aren't healthy.  A Votre Sante!

Triple Layer Brownies

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter + 3 Tbsp

8 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs
1 cup flour

3 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half

For the 1st layer:

(Preheat oven to 300 degrees)

Melt together (in a double boiler or the microwave):

1/2 cup butter

6 oz unsweetened chocolate, set aside and let cool slightly

Beat together for 8 minutes (you want this fluffy) on medium-med/high speed:

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture.  Add by folding 1 cup of flour and 1 tsp vanilla.  Bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely before frosting.  (You can always do this the night before.)

Frosting:

Melt until a caramel color, approximately 7-8 minutes on medium low heat:

1/2 cup butter

Beat the butter with 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 heavy cream and the remaining 2 tsp of vanilla.  Frost brownies while the frosting is still warm then cool to room temperature.

Glaze:

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 Tbsp butter

Melt together and pour over frosting.  You can serve them as is or cold.  I usually serve them cold, they're a little easier to cut when cold.  They freeze nicely.  Enjoy with ice cream, coffee, or a coffee cocktail!

Recipe of the week: Red Velvet Cheesecake brownies

I haven't been blogging much or posting recipes lately, for that I apologize....life has gotten in the way.  Jade sent me a recipe a few months ago that was similar to this, but as always I had to modify it.  True red-velvet cake has either vinegar or buttermilk in it.  I also don't believe in artificial coloring so I used beet juice instead of red food coloring.  If you want to know the history of red velvet cake you can read this.  I made this a couple of weeks ago and we rated it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.  I over swirled mine, but even with that the flavor would be the same.  I think I would add a little more chocolate next time.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp beet juice
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
8-oz cream cheese, room temperature (I used light)
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
cocoa powder for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or butter the bottom and sides of a glass 8 inch baking dish.

In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. I used the mircowave for this, starting with 30 seconds then adding 10 seconds at a time until it was melted.  (Mine only took 50 seconds total).  Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, beet juice and vinegar. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.  Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.

To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Swirl in with a knife or spatula.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.  Dust with cocoa powder.  Let cool completely in pan before cutting.