Trying to rehabilitate a philistine

Until recently, I thought my biggest failure as a food-loving-make-it-from-scratch parent was Dylan's insistence on having me use store-bought frosting on his homemade birthday cakes. But not long ago, Brad sheepishly admitted that he likes brownies made from a Ghirardelli mix more than my homemade brownies, even after I came up with a chewy brownie as an alternative to our usual fudgy brownies. Still not cake-y enough for Brad, he said at the time. Another nail in my heart from philistine #2.

This weekend, though, I tried a different recipe, and even Brad had to think hard about whether these are better than his favorite boxed Ghirardelli brownies. On further reflection, he now thinks it might be the chocolate chips in the Triple Chocolate Brownies that are tipping the scales in favor of the boxed mix. Maybe, but I also did some research of my own and discovered that the first ingredient in these brownies is sugar (if you combine the weights of the brown and white sugars), which is also true of the Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownies, but not of our Fudgy Brownies and Chewy Brownies. So Brad probably just likes a sweeter brownie than I do, which isn't surprising, given that I don't like super-sweet desserts. Anyway, that'll be my secret (since Brad doesn't read UaKS), and next time I make these I'll throw in some chocolate chips and see if I can't slay this dragon once and for all.

[5/13/18 update: I made these again for Mother's Day, with the chocolate chips added, and Brad now prefers them to all other brownies. My skills are complete.]

NB: These brownies are gluten free, so Mom's sense of entitlement definitely applies, and she will finish these off the next day while you're not looking. (Actual quote: "Brad could've had more after his breakfast. Stinks for him.")

Crushed hazelnuts

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

Adapted from Fast Food My Way (2004) by Jacques Pépin

Time: 47 minutes total (22 minutes prep, 25 minutes baking)

To more closely approximate the experience of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownies, use a mixture of bittersweet, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate chips. 

60 grams (½ cup) hazelnuts (I use Trader Joe's Dry Roasted & Unsalted Oregon Hazelnuts, which lets me skip step 2 in the recipe)
170 grams (6 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I use 14 squares of Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate)
70 grams (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
a pinch of fine sea salt
2 large eggs (~57 grams each in the shell)
100 grams (½ cup) light brown sugar
100 grams (½ cup) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla extract
60 grams (~⅓ cup) chocolate chips (see note)

  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. You can make these in an 8-inch square glass or metal pan. If you're using a glass pan, grease it with butter or vegetable shortening. If you're using a metal pan, tear off a 12-by-12-inch sheet of aluminum foil. Turn the pan upside down, center the foil on it, and fold the excess evenly over the sides of the pan. Fold and crease the corners like you're wrapping a present. Slip the liner off the pan. Turn the pan right side up and insert the liner, carefully working it into the corners of the pan. Spray the liner with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. If you’re using raw hazelnuts (you don’t have to take the skins off), toast them in a small baking pan until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5–6 minutes. Watch carefully. Cool for a few minutes.

  3. Place the chocolate, butter, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave on full power for 1 minute. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for 5 minutes. (You can work on the rest of the recipe while you're waiting.) Zap on 50% power for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth.

  4. Crush the hazelnuts using a mortar and pestle, or by placing them in a ziplock bag and smashing them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy skillet. You’re aiming to make very small pieces, not hazelnut flour or paste (see the photo above).

  5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the hazelnuts and chocolate-butter mixture. Beat well with a wooden spoon until the batter stiffens up a bit, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

  6. Bake until the brownies are just set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few wet crumbs, about 25 minutes (check sooner). Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and allow the brownies, still in the pan, to cool completely. Cut into 9 large or 16 small brownies. Serve with Orange Whipped Cream, if you really want to gild the lily.

Orange Whipped Cream

1 cup (232 grams) heavy cream

1½ tablespoons (19 grams) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, or Cointreau

1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whip, by hand with a whisk or using an electric mixer, until the cream holds firm peaks.