I was pretty excited when I learned that this week’s TWD recipe was one for brownies. Aside from the fact that I love brownies, it gave me an opportunity to use this:
It’s my new handy, dandy Perfect Brownie Pan! (Don’t scoff. When you can’t sleep at 3:00 a.m., and the only things on TV are infomercials, your judgment gets a little cloudy. Okay? Thanks.)
Anyway, Dorie explains that this recipe came from some guy named Rick Katz, a pastry chef who did the prep work for Julia Child’s show, Baking With Julia. He used to make these brownies for the cast and crew and Julia loved them. Hey! If they’re good enough for Julia, they’re certainly good enough for me!
The recipe for these brownies is different from any I’ve ever made before. Instead of dumping all of the ingredients in a bowl and mixing, you whip some of the sugar and eggs together like mad and then fold them into the rest of the batter. It seems like an awful lot of trouble just to make a batch of brownies, but that’s the recipe and I do what I’m told.
If you like fudgy brownies, though, this is definitely the recipe for you. These brownies are the absolute fudgiest I’ve ever tasted. So much so, that they bordered on goopy. I had to freeze them for a while before I could scrape some of them out of the pan. Thank goodness my fancy brownie pan obviated the need to cut them, or else I could have been in trouble!
Look at how perfectly they came out! No joke, people, this pan is the brownie-baking bomb!
I brought these brownies to a Super Bowl party, so I wanted to jazz them up a little. When people know you’re in the “food biz”, the bar is automatically raised. Plus, this was kind of a sophisticated crowd. So, I added about two tablespoons of instant espresso powder to the batter. I really liked the slightly bitter edge it gave to the brownies. Also, Rick’s brownies are incredibly rich, so I cut each brownie in half. It was a good call. A lot of the women at that party looked like a brownie hadn’t passed their lips in twenty years or more. Some even broke those small halved ones in half again! (Sheesh, ladies! It’s only a little, tiny brownie. Live a little!)
Many thanks to Tanya from Chocolatechic for choosing this recipe for us this week. If you’d like to make these brownies for yourself, and you’re one of the five people on the planet that don’t already have Dorie’s book, you can find the recipe on Chocolatechic. If you’d like to see lots more goopy fudgy brownies, stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie site and have a ball!
Enjoy!
Filed Under: Baking, Cookies and Brownies, Cool Products, Recipes, Tuesdays with Dorie
TWD: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
TWD: French Chocolate Brownies
On February 09, 2010 at 10:55am, Emily Rose said...
I loved these brownies…too much! I am really excited to see how well the brownie pan works- I have wanted to get one but convinced myself that it was just “TV magic” and that it couldn’t possibly work as well in real life but now I see that it does! I could barely get my brownies out of the pan!
On February 09, 2010 at 11:02am, vibi said...
OH! I love the pan… cloudy brain or not! LOL You lucky woman! …indeed it made perfect dandy brownies! Well done!
On February 09, 2010 at 11:03am, Jeannette said...
is it sad that i’ve wanted that pan out of curiosity and i WASN’T watching an infomercial at 3am?
lovely brownies!!
On February 09, 2010 at 11:20am, Ginny said...
I have a bit of a brownie obsession as of late… the most recent ones, involved a similar process that I thought was a waste of dirty beaters but tasted great… I’m putting this on the list!
On February 09, 2010 at 11:40am, Jelli said...
I cannot believe you bought the perfect brownie pan! I see that infomercial all the time, and for the life of me have not known anyone to purchase. I must say that those brownies do look fantastic, so maybe I am missing out on the brownie pan of a lifetime. I also add espresso to most of my brownie recipes and they turn out great. Keep up the good work.
On February 09, 2010 at 11:44am, tia said...
i LOVE that pan! looks like a good purchase
On February 09, 2010 at 11:55am, nina said...
Guess what I’m doing with the rest of my LIFe…….Browniepan hunting of course….What a genius thing to behold!!! I like a fudge brownie,,,,,,
On February 10, 2010 at 8:53pm, Susan said...
I don’t know if you have Wal Mart over there, but I recently saw these pans there.
On February 09, 2010 at 12:06pm, Jennifer said...
I’ve been wondering about this pan! Now, if I’m up late watching infomercials, I’ll snag one of my own!
These were SO good!
On February 09, 2010 at 12:08pm, Colleen said...
Oooooooooooooooh!!! And I also want one of those brownie pans…with your brownies in it would be the ultimate of course hehe.. Well done. These look so decadent xx
On February 09, 2010 at 12:25pm, Mary said...
I just got that pan as a gift! I can’t wait to try it out. Yours look great!
On February 09, 2010 at 12:33pm, Megan said...
My daughter keeps asking me to buy that pan - although it’s probably the last thing I need!
These brownies were really, really good - and I have to laugh about some of the women breaking the halves into halves - not me! Bring it on!
On February 09, 2010 at 12:36pm, Cristine said...
Your brownies look fantastic and I have been tempted to buy that pan, too!
On February 09, 2010 at 12:37pm, Jill said...
That brownie pan is fantastic — I want one! I made these brownies recently and I’m relieved to see that I’m not the only one who had to chill them to get them in shape. They were suuuuper gooey. Which is delicious and all, but I think my husband was a little horrified. Of course, he doesn’t like to eat batter or dough, so his opinion is suspect. 😉
On February 09, 2010 at 1:26pm, Rosa said...
Wow, i love that pan! Where did you find it?
Those Brownies look fantastic!
Cheers,
Rosa
On February 10, 2010 at 8:55pm, Susan said...
I saw the pan on a late night infomercial on TV. I’ve recently also seen them at Wal Mart. Don’t know if you have those in Europe, though.
On February 09, 2010 at 1:26pm, dani said...
brownies are my all time fave, and i need that pan!!!!!
On February 09, 2010 at 1:34pm, Mary said...
Thank you for buying that brownie pan! And you like it? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the informercial and thought about whether or not it would work! Your brownies look delicious by the way!
On February 09, 2010 at 1:59pm, Kelly said...
I received the perfect brownie pan as a gift (friends know I love to bake) and it definitely works well, but I think the brownies come out too small. Trying to add toppings can get frustrating as well, especially if you’re melting chocolates (example: andes mint glaze). What I like even better is my square springform pan from Chef’s Catalog. The sides pop off and I can still cut the brownies into nice neat squares, of my own preferred size!
On February 09, 2010 at 2:17pm, shelly (cookies and cups) said...
awesome pan! glad it actually works!..sometimes you never know!
These brownies look amazing
On February 09, 2010 at 2:30pm, Margaret said...
I love your new gadget. And love how fudgy your brownies look. YUM!!!
On February 09, 2010 at 2:47pm, Jannett said...
I saw this pan….does it give you the crunchy bites on each square? Love the look of the brownies..
On February 09, 2010 at 2:54pm, erin said...
Oh, I love this pan! I am horrible at cutting perfect squares- these look fantastic!
On February 09, 2010 at 3:25pm, Jennifer said...
I am LOVING that pan!! The brownies look so perfect!
On February 09, 2010 at 3:36pm, Terry said...
I love your blog! I stumbled upon it by accident and I’m going to keep coming back! Keep up the good work
On February 10, 2010 at 8:58pm, Susan said...
Thanks, Terry, and welcome! I hope to see you here often!
On February 09, 2010 at 4:34pm, Kayte said...
Wow, your brownies look nice and fudgy! I NEED A PAN LIKE THAT! Seriously. Look how wonderful those brownies came out of it!
On February 09, 2010 at 5:15pm, Donna said...
OH YUMMO for sure….
(((HUGS)))
Donna
On February 09, 2010 at 5:52pm, Rachel (S[d]OC) said...
If I had those brownies, I would not be breaking them in half!
I have the Baking with Julia cookbook and it’s never let me down. I will have to see if this recipe is in there.
On February 09, 2010 at 7:14pm, noble pig said...
OMG I must have that pan!
On February 09, 2010 at 8:13pm, Carly said...
I had the same problem with my brownies being too gooey too! I definitely had to chill them before getting them out of the pan, and still had to pitch one because it just completely fell apart. On the other hand… completely delicious
Such a good idea on the instant espresso powder! My absolute favorite brownies are the Barefoot Contessa brownies - which have such a great hit of espresso!
On February 10, 2010 at 8:58pm, Susan said...
I love Ina’s brownies too!
On February 09, 2010 at 9:07pm, Jodie said...
What a cool pan! Although it eliminates “accidentally”cutting yourself a large piece!
On February 10, 2010 at 8:59pm, Susan said...
Lol! 😀
On February 09, 2010 at 10:15pm, Diane {createdbydiane.blogspot.com} said...
They look heavenly! I love brownies
Great pan too!
On February 10, 2010 at 12:18am, Bethany said...
you had me at goopy
they look wonderful and you can never go wrong adding some coffee — the bitterness makes the chocolate SO rich!
On February 10, 2010 at 3:15am, BooksAndBakes said...
A handy, dandy Perfect Brownie Pan? Ingenious! I think I’ve seen similar inserts for normal pans somewhere before…
Coffee in brownies is a given, isn’t it?
Rosie of BooksAndBakes
On February 10, 2010 at 8:42am, Karen@Mignardise said...
A long time ago, when I was pregnant with my oldest, I used to go to a bakery/cafe in Newton Mass. that was owned by Rick Katz. It was called Bentonwood Bakery. I can vouch his talent! I remember it well…
It’s nice to have this recipe now. A must try!
On February 10, 2010 at 9:35am, Flourchild said...
Your brownies look so good. I messed up on the directions..but my brownies came out tasting very good!
On February 10, 2010 at 11:40am, Eliana said...
So I’ve always wondered about this pan and now thanks to you I must buy one! Because these brownies do look perfect.
On February 10, 2010 at 11:45am, Carolina said...
Hey, what a beautiful post. You have perfect looking brownies. Thanks so much for the review! I have been straddling the fence on whether to buy one. Now, I know I will! I have not made these yet, but will this weekend. I think I am gonna get the pan especially.
On February 10, 2010 at 1:03pm, Susan said...
I love your pan!! I have a pan that makes 12 mini brownies, but it doesn’t serve them that nicely. I have to get each one out of it’s own little baking spot. Yours look perfect!
On February 10, 2010 at 1:20pm, Ram said...
Thanks for posting this! I have the same pan as yours and I haven’t used it yet. This is a good recipe to start it with. Now, I’m excited!
On February 10, 2010 at 1:25pm, Ram said...
By the way, is one recipe enough for that pan you used?
On February 10, 2010 at 9:07pm, Susan said...
I used one recipe and the brownies were not as tall as I’d like, but they were fine for me. If you like your brownies taller, you might want to double the recipe.
On February 10, 2010 at 3:52pm, Wendy said...
These brownies were awesome. So good. I’ve bought many a thing at 4 am (the amazon app on my phone has been killer to my checkbook!).
On February 10, 2010 at 4:23pm, Amy said...
I am not laughing at the pan…in fact, I want one!
On February 10, 2010 at 9:05pm, Susan said...
Hey, Everyone! Thanks for all your sweet comments! I’m so glad you liked the brownies. Seems like my little brownie pan has caused quite a stir! It really does work great. No cutting and perfectly square brownies every time. For those of you who live near a Wal Mart, I saw these pans there a few weeks ago. If you really want one, check it out.
On February 10, 2010 at 9:26pm, thecoffeesnob said...
That pan is just the cutest thing! They would be perfect for making neat, tiny squares of lemon cheesecakes- mmm!
On February 11, 2010 at 4:47pm, Ashley said...
Wow, I’m going to have to get one of those brownie pans! I thought about adding espresso powder since I love the Katherine Hepburn brownies so much, but I wanted to try the original version first. Will definitely make again with espresso.
On February 12, 2010 at 9:35pm, katy said...
OMG! you got the brownie pan!!!! i’ve seen it on tv so many times! they look great — very picture perfect!
On February 13, 2010 at 10:13am, Kevin said...
Those brownies look so moist and dense and chocolaty and good!
On February 14, 2010 at 9:02pm, ingrid said...
Not me….I’d be like uh, Susan like where’s the rest of the brownie? LOL!
I need that pan. I stink at cutting straight pretty brownies or bars.
~ingrid
On February 16, 2010 at 7:52am, Rosa said...
Thanks. Maybe I can find it on Amazon.
Cheers,
Rosa
On February 16, 2010 at 11:48am, Olliander said...
Good lord, those brownies look unbelievable. Thanks for posting this—the pictures alone make me want to start cooking. Which link has the recipe?
On February 16, 2010 at 1:34pm, Hannah said...
If only all insomna-induced infomercial purchases could work out so well! Or ebay purchases, for that matter…
Bring on the goop, I say!
On November 11, 2012 at 8:07pm, bakingismyzen said...
Thanks for a great post. I will be making this scheduled for 11/20/12, for the group I’m in, Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia. I like the pan you used…
Carmen
bakingismyzen.wordpress.com
On January 21, 2013 at 2:26am, baking is my zen said...
Susan, love your blog. I bought the brownie pan after seeing it on your blog post. Thanks for sharing!
I’m in a group, TWDBWJ, Tuesdays with Dorie, Baking with Julia.
Carmen
http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/twd-baking-with-julia-best-ever-brownies-by-rick-katz/