January 27 -I've recently updated this post with new photos of the Starbucks brownie in a "more dignified" aka not flattened appearance. Yes, I bought another one! My family liked it a lot, too! Oh, did I mention I got a free drink for buying the brownie?
I have to say that this is my most favorite Starbucks pastry as of today. Their flourless chocolate brownie is just so good! I’ve been meaning to try it since I saw it earlier this week but I was so hungry I opted for a sausage roll instead. Today, having had breakfast at home, I was ready to have a bite of the “small but terrible” piece of brownie. I had it to go as I was already set to meet with Dean and Gelain so the little rosettes of chocolate butter icing was already flattened by the time I took it out to have a bite. Nonetheless, I was so surprised at how it tasted! I had previously asked the barista if it was on the sweet or bitter side and she said it was sweet so I was expecting a sugary chocolate flavor. Boy, was I wrong! This was so rich and densely packed, it was like fudge! Inside the brownie was gooey chocolate, only the outer edges and the crust were hard.
my original photos of my first brownie
Since I took my first bite as I was walking to work (I was that excited), I wasn’t able to see what was in the brownie but as I was chewing, I recognized some crunchy bits. True enough, the brownie is filled with bits of cashew nuts that are just right to compliment the chocolate. It takes away the umay factor from the brownie. And how could I forget that chocolate butter icing that seems to make the brownie even more decadent. The butter and chocolate flavors together just seems so right. More butter in pastries just makes them yummier, don’t you agree?
This brownie just went up the list of my favorite store-bought brownies. And at Php 55 (a dollar and so), this is a real steal! Just don’t attempt to try counting the calories since this is a flourless brownies, it’s probably packed with chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs. (But maybe I’ll ask the barista next time I buy one so we can have an idea.) I hope they make this a permanent fixture in their pastry stand. And with Starbucks everywhere, I can always have a really nice piece of brownie!
Since I’ve gotten myself into this brownie topic, might as well share my other favorites.
My cheap brownie fix will always be Brownies Unlimited. At less than Php 15 (30 cents!) a pop, this is an instant pick-me-up. Another plus is it's located almost everywhere, especially in SM malls so I can always have an instant brownie fix even if i don't have money! I could finish a whole 6-pak box of these by myself! I used to put dibs on the pebble beach variety which had caramel, nuts, and marshmallows; but over the years, I’ve started to prefer the plain chocolate or chocolate chip variants where I can taste the chocolate and nothing else. The bittersweet chocolate icing of the plain one is so yummy with the sweet brownie.
My other favorite (more expensive) brownie is Café Xocolat’s Citrus Gourmet Brownie. At Php 85 ($2) it’s quite a splurge for a brownie but it’s around twice the size of the Starbucks brownie. The citrus flavor is just an awesome contrast with the bittersweet chocolate. I used to have my mom buy me lots of these and ate them while doing my plates.
During the past 2 years, I’ve searched for the perfect brownie recipe since we had an oven and baking spress in Batangas (sadly, I don’t have an oven here in QC anymore) and I would pore over internet articles and recipes trying to find one. I wanted to try brownies from chocolate since those from chocoloate powder turned out a bit too sweet and cakey. Finally, my mom got a back issue of Saveur magazine which featured the best brownie recipes. And there they were, tried and tested brownie recipes! My favorite of all is Nick’s Supernatural Brownies which are so gooey and chewy at the same time! The recipe results to a small batch only so when we baked this, we had to stop ourselves or the brownies will be finished in a few seconds! I love how the crust turns out so shiny and crackly, which they say, is most likely a result of the heating of chocolate and butter beforehand. The recipe also calls for so little flour that its consistency is almost flourless! We use Van Heuten chocolate for this and I still want to try it using other chocolate brands. Don't ask me how much this brownie costs to make. I never dared to compute because it's probably more expensive than any other brownie I've eaten. And my dad might have a heart attack when he finds out how much we spend when we bake. Hah! Here’s the article from saveur.com.
Fudgy and moist, these brownies (shown on the bottom) are made from a recipe that appears in Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers by Nick Malgieri (HarperCollins, 1998). Source: Saveur
Photo: André Baranowski
16 tbsp. unsalted butter,
plus more for greasing
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate,
cut into 1⁄4" pieces
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown
sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄2 tsp. fine salt
1 cup flour
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper; grease paper. Set pan aside.
2. Pour enough water into a 4-quart saucepan that it reaches a depth of 1". Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Combine butter and chocolate in a medium bowl; set bowl over saucepan. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Whisk together eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt; whisk to combine. Stir in chocolate mixture; fold in flour. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Cut and serve.
MAKES 24 BROWNIES
This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #113
I guess this is the perfect brownie for me because it’s chewy and gooey and has crunchy edges at the same time. Speaking of edges, have you seen the Baker’s Edge Baking Pan? I first saw this online then I saw a similar concept on a muffin pan in one of the sales in Pasong Tamo. I didn’t buy it though, ‘cause we still don’t have an oven here.
Anyway, these pans made it to Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things of 2010, and why wouldn’t they? Who doesn’t want a brownie without an edge? The edge is packed with toasted flavor and crunch! Ingenious, right? I’m not sure if I’ve seen it here in the Philippines
For more info on this check out their site.
Well, that was a long story. And it all started with that amazing brownie. Which I’m about to finish as I’m writing this by the way. I’d love to tell you about the history of the brownie, or my baking escapades in Batangas, but that’s another story. I’ll be back with more MissAdventures.
miss monologue
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