Love pecans? Relish brownies? Time to double down. Author Connie Weis has just the solution for you in her new and modestly decadent book Extreme Brownies. There are fifty saliva-inspiring recipes in this book. This one caught my eye because I do love my pecans and I adore candied pecans. The thought of marrying candied pecans and chocolate is just too overpowering to ignore.
There is a lot, a lot of batter here. Three sticks of butter and six eggs and almost a pound of chocolate mean this is not a petite dish. The picture above shows how dense and rich these brownies are. The cooking time suggested here, 38 minutes, was definitely short in my oven. It took a full 50 minutes until that toothpick came out cleanly.
I recommend this brownie treat. I just suggest you monitor the baking carefully in your oven. Test for doneness starting at that 38 minute mark and just apply patience and judgment.
With that rich batter, these brownies can stand on their own, something I would rarely say. You do not need to frost, glaze or adorn these brownies. All you need do is enjoy.
The recipes in Extreme Brownies generally call for refrigerating the cooled brownies for several hours to set before cutting. So, if you have an craving for "brownies now" then you need another recipe. If, on the other hand, you a mature lover of desserts with studied patience, then you need to find your pecans. Now.
Crunchy Candied Pecan Brownies
Yield: 12 very large or 24 modest brownies
Ingredients:
Candied Pecans:
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 packed tablespoons (1 ounce) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white, at room temperature
- 2 cups (8 ounces) pecan halves
Brownie Batter:
- Vegetable shortening for pan
- 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter
- 4 ½ ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1 ½ cups (9 ounces) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (10.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ packed cups (12 ounces) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups bleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
Preparation:
To make the candied pecans, adjust an oven rack to the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a half-sheet pan with a silicone baking mat. Place the sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Place the egg white in a small mixing bowl; whisk until frothy. Add the pecans and stir with a silicone spatula. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the pecans and fold in well. Turn the nuts out onto the prepared sheet pan and spread into a thin layer with the spatula. Bake for 13 minutes, then turn the nuts over with a metal spatula and spread out again. Continue baking until the nuts are fragrant and the sugar coating is caramelized, about another 6 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.
To make the brownies, maintain the oven temperature at 350°F. Prepare a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil by lining the bottom and all four sides.
Cut the butter sticks into 1 -inch slices. In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter pieces over the lowest setting. While the butter is melting, chop the unsweetened chocolate into 14-inch pieces and add to the melted butter along with the bittersweet chocolate chips. Use a small whisk to speed the melting process. When the chocolate is melted and completely smooth, turn off the heat but leave the saucepan on the burner while proceeding with the recipe.
Using a large whisk, lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Place the sugars and salt in a separate small mixing bowl, then whisk into the eggs just until incorporated. Briefly whisk the melted chocolate mixture, then gradually whisk into the egg mixture until just combined. Briefly whisk in the vanilla.
Place the flour and baking powder in the small mixing bowl; whisk together to combine. Sift through a medium strainer directly onto the batter; stir in with a silicone spatula until just combined.
Place 1 ½ cups of the candied pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, but not ground into a paste. Sprinkle the ground pecans over the batter; fold in until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Place the remaining pecans evenly over the batter. Bake for 38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, then refrigerate the pan for 7 to 8 hours, or overnight.
To remove the brownies, invert the pan over a flat surface — a cutting board perhaps — then shake the pan and tug on the aluminum foil. Remove the foil and cut into individual brownies. Store in a closed container.
Source: Warm Bread and Honey Cake by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra
Photo Information: Canon T2i, 18-55mm Macro Lens, f/2.8, 1/10 second, ISO-3200