by drbabs
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my 120 recipes »
drbabs's Notes:
Expand4 ounces (1 stick) butter (plus more for pan) Ask a question about this ingredient
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup flour Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon powdered espresso Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup granulated sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 cups brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
3 large eggs Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient
Optional ingredients: crushed peppermints (or Altoids), peppermint extract, chocolate chips, cinnamon, nuts, almond extract, orange zest and juice, cardamom, powdered sugar, flaky sea salt Ask a question about this ingredient
Heat oven to 350. Butter the wells of a non-stick mini muffin pan. You may be tempted to use canola oil spray instead, but I ask that you not do so. These are small, decadent, chocolatey, delicious--you don't really want to muck them up with the taste of canola oil, do you?
Ask a question about this stepMelt butter and chocolate in a large heavy pot over low heat, stirring until smooth. Whisk together flour, espresso powder, cocoa, and salt. Remove pan from heat and whisk in granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking after each addition until incorporated, then add vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just blended.
Ask a question about this stepIf desired, divide batter into 3 or 4 batches, depending on how many different types of brownies you want to make. Into each group stir in: 1. 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract and 2-3 TB crushed peppermints. 2. 1/4 c. chocolate chips and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. 3. 1/8 tsp. almond extract and 1/4 c. chopped nuts. 4. 1 TB orange zest, 1 tsp. orange juice and 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom. (Amounts are approximate--feel free to play with the proportions to your taste. It's your chocolate fantasy!)
Ask a question about this stepTo make them pretty and evenly shaped, place the batter in a ziploc bag, cut off one corner, and squeeze the batter evenly into the wells. (This works with smooth batters; is more challenging with the chunky ones. You can use a tablespoon.) Fill just below the top of the wells. (Refrigerate unused batter till ready to use. It may make the batter a little difficult to squeeze or scoop, but if the butter gets too soft, it sort of melts in the wells while baking and the brownie bites are difficult to remove.)
Ask a question about this stepBake in the middle of the oven for ~12-15 minutes, until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still adhering (if you like soft chewy brownies). If you prefer cakelike brownies, bake an extra minute or two. Better to underbake these--they will continue to bake when you take them out and they are very small.
Ask a question about this stepAs soon as they are cool enough to handle, carefully remove them from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. To serve, you may dust with powdered sugar and/or sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Ask a question about this stepHi Megan. Thanks so much for commenting. I'm glad that a gluten free version worked well.
Another outstanding recipe, drbabs! I had a bit of extra dough, which I scooped directly onto a parchment lined biking sheet, then baked as cookies. They turned out really well. Definitely a keeper. ;o)
I'm so happy that you enjoyed them! (and hope they didn't stick to the pan!)
Thanks; only a couple didn't release right away, most likely because I didn't butter those spots thoroughly . I plan to get a non-stick pan before making these again, to speed up the clean-up I was pleased though at how well this batter worked to make ciookies. There is something magical about biting into what looks like a cookie, but has the texture and unmistakable flavor of a dark chocolate brownie, ; o)
Mmmmmmmm... LOVED these! I especially enjoyed cleaning out my cupboards to create my chocolate fantasies. Fantasy #1: Creme de menthe and Andes mint pieces; Fantasy #2: Reese's peanut butter chips and fleur de sel; Fantasy #3: Mini chocolate chips and an ancho chili-cinnamon spice mix (from a recipe for chocolate bark, also on this site). All were fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!
You have great chocolate fantasies! Thanks for sharing your take on these.
2nd time making them today..I omitted the espresso powered, didn't have any. used a regular size muffin tin and semi sweet chips .My husband said the best "brownie "he ever had. Yum...
These are amazing! Didn't have espresso powder so I added one shot of espresso when melting the chocolate. I needed to cook them about 5 minutes longer. I mustn't have buttered the pan well enough because they stuck a bit. Next time I'd go for the mini muffin liners and remove them before serving. My friends said they had thought about skipping the brownie bite because, after all, they were just brownie bites. With once the first bite, and ensuing "OMG's" were heard round the room, the plate was quickly emptied. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for letting me know. And you know what you said about your friends skipping the brownie bites? that's exactly why I created this recipe. I had been to one too many parties where someone brought brownie bites from Costco and I thought, there has to be a better way. I'm so glad you and your friends enjoyed them.
I'm sorry for asking, Dr Babs, but you don't specify...are these made in a cupcake pan????
See step 1. I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan. I hope you enjoy them! Have fun!
Perfect GIFT from the kitchen!!! I'd forgotten about these - I've meaning to make them, and now's the time!I
Thanks! I love this about the new website--they keep cycling through all these recipes that I've wanted to make but forgot about.
I totally agree!!
Perfect five from the kitchen!!! I'd forgotten about these - I've meaning to make them, and now's the time!
Really yummy and perfect for a box of holiday goodies. I like them as they are but think the addition of any of your suggested ingredients would be fantastic.
drbabs, these are wonderful! Made them for my daughter's end-of-season basketball party later today. Heading over to tweet this with a photo now.
Loving your recipes -- have made your ginger-apple torte a few times as well. thanks.
carol
Wow--thanks so much! They're a much requested dessert at my house, too.
These were insanely delicious and really quite easy! The coffee/salt combo really enhances the deep chocolate taste. My daughter loves mint so we took a suggestion from a comment on the Jenny's in the Kitchen thread and pressed a Junior Mint into a trayful and that was a huge hit.
I will definitely be making these again!
Hi Jennifer--I just saw this--I so happy you liked them! I'm going to try the Junior Mint idea, too.
I just made three mini-batches: cardamom, cinnamon nutmeg, and vanilla sea salt. I am definitely a brownie lover, and these are by far some of the best brownies I have ever made!
Wow--I love your spice combinations! Thanks so much for letting me know!
I just whipped up a batch of these and all I can say is YUM! I made one batch plain, one batch I topped with sea salt and the final batch I added in butterscotch chips. I honestly could have eaten the entire batch. Plus, it was so easy to make, and they look adorable when baked in the mini-muffin tin.
Miranda is an editor at Food52.
I made these last night with gluten free flour and they are just perfect. I used Ahern's GF mix, which is (as far as I know) not a brand, but a recipe (you can google it to find combination of ingredients), and my favorite to date. The GF flour might have made them a bit harder, but not much. They are very chewy 14 hours later!