Brownie Bonanza

Now that I've fully outfitted my kitchen with all the goodies I've been wanting for a while (short the food processor), I am baking up a storm! My new kitchen scale has allowed me to figure out baking brownies. 8oz of chocolate is definitely not equal to 1 scoop cup. I figured as much... but now I know!

So, let the brownie baking begin! These are for a mini-side project of mine... and I'm super excited! But first, I have to practice, practice and practice to make sure I know how to bake brownies from scratch with no fails.

From Ripe For Dessert:
The Absolute Best Brownie Recipe...
I tried this recipe three times... first time was a while ago, and a true fail. Just recently I tried these twice. This time, my "first" attempt was a bit too moist, the 2nd I over baked in an attempt to figure out the timing. So, I've resolved that I'm not a fan of the recipe.
I really wish it worked out though... it was a one pot mixing recipe! Such an easy clean up! But alas, it was not meant to be.


From the King Arthur Flour website:
Brownie Bites
One word: AMAZING!
I had some reservations as to the success of this one given the past attempts at brownie baking, but even after I still hesitated at the "not quite passing" toothpick test... they came out great, and are SO GOOD.
I used dark cocoa powder with semisweet chocolate chips. Such an amazing color... with a real depth in the cocoa flavor accented by the espresso.
The batter was particularly thick... but then again, what do I know about baking brownies from scratch?


The differences between the two:


From Real Simple:
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Now, the previous try on this recipe was a MAJOR fail. I now know I had the amount of chocolate wrong, and 400 degrees was too high. I may have attempted this twice before - so third time's the charm?

The little bit I had tasted ok... I definitely got a chunk of the PB cup, but I still didn't get the bake time right. I went a little over, since I got a bit of a crust on the bottom. Hmmmmm. But at least the entire thing wasn't as hard as a rock and/or liquid in the center.


My main issue is still time and temp. I've had to add on time over what the recipe calls for... 10 more min here... then 10 more min there... then another 5 more... blah blah. It takes FOREVER. And I do the toothpick test A LOT. It makes me wonder if I also need to get an oven thermometer. Damn it all. And so, the research goes on...