Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Benny said:

and please not one that uses those whacky American ingredients that we
can't get hold of in the UK!!!

I'm dying to know what a whacky American ingredient is that can't be
gotten in the UK, one that might commonly be used in baking brownies.
Enlighten me, please. (I might be glad to send it to you if I knew what
it was.)

As for the brownies not cooking in the middle, I recommend thicker
smaller baking pans and more of them. Lower the baking temperature to
350 degrees and bake longer. Shoot for a fairly flat brownie which
means putting less batter into each pan.

--Lia

Quoted message said:

From : Julia Altshuler [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

I'm dying to know what a whacky American ingredient is that can't be
gotten in the UK, one that might commonly be used in baking brownies.
Enlighten me, please. (I might be glad to send it to you if I knew
what it was.)

Things like Choco bake and brownie mix.

Quoted message said:

As for the brownies not cooking in the middle, I recommend thicker
smaller baking pans and more of them. Lower the baking temperature to
350 degrees and bake longer. Shoot for a fairly flat brownie which
means putting less batter into each pan.

--Lia

This particular mix is very heavy, sticky and difficult to spread in the
baking tin.

Benny said:

I found this recipe on the net last week and have tried it twice,
without success. The problem is it never cooks properly. The first time
I didn't use any baking powder so I assumed that was the reason for the
gooey middle. This time I used baking powder and let the mixture cook
for a full 30 minutes before doing the cocktail stick test. The mixture
was too gooey for my liking so I baked for another 5 minutes before
playing the cake tin on wire rack and leaving it too cool for 20
minutes. When I came back to the cake it's [censored] fell out i.e. the middle
collapsed. I flipped the brownie over and the middle looked patchy
compared to the rest of the mixture. I cut the brownie into pieces, it
tastes great but the middle part is gooey, though not as gooey as last
time. What am I doing wrong? Can someone recommend an alternative recipe
and please not one that uses those whacky American ingredients that we
can't get hold of in the UK!!!

Here's the recipe :

Frosted Fudge Brownies

BROWNIES
250g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
200g sugar
125g butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
85g chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g chopped nuts

* I assume self raising?
** I used about 30g of chopped walnuts

Here's my recipe. Do not use self-rising flour, use plain (all purpose)
flour. I usually double the recipe and make in a 9x13" pan, or triple
it and make in a 4 liter lasagna pan. They don't need frosting.

(1 cup = about 235 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml. I really should convert the whole
thing to grams sometime)

Bob's Brownies

1/3 C cocoa
1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C salted butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C chopped walnuts or pecans

Peheat oven to 325°F. Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Add
remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture lightens in color.
Bake in greased 8x8x2" pan for 35 minutes.

Benny said:

Things like Choco bake and brownie mix.

I had to google on choco bake to find out what it was and got a giggle
out of it when I did. Pre-melted chocolate "ends the hassles of melting
chocolate." I suppose "hassle" is one way of looking at it, but I
rather enjoy the steps involved with home baking.

Can you get this product in the U.K?
http://www.kraftfoods.com/BakersChocolate/BakersBrands.htm

The chocolate itself is adequate. I like it fine, but others on this
list say it's not wonderful. I mention it because the recipe on the box
of unsweetened chocolate makes easy brownies. You melt the butter and
chocolate in the microwave, add the flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla, then
pour the batter into a greased brownie pan. There's little clean-up,
and I can testify to the middle of the pan baking through.

--Lia

Benny said:

I found this recipe on the net last week and have tried it twice,
without success. The problem is it never cooks properly. The first time
I didn't use any baking powder so I assumed that was the reason for the
gooey middle. This time I used baking powder and let the mixture cook
for a full 30 minutes before doing the cocktail stick test. The mixture
was too gooey for my liking so I baked for another 5 minutes before
playing the cake tin on wire rack and leaving it too cool for 20
minutes. When I came back to the cake it's [censored] fell out i.e. the middle
collapsed. I flipped the brownie over and the middle looked patchy
compared to the rest of the mixture. I cut the brownie into pieces, it
tastes great but the middle part is gooey, though not as gooey as last
time. What am I doing wrong? Can someone recommend an alternative recipe
and please not one that uses those whacky American ingredients that we
can't get hold of in the UK!!!

Here's the recipe :

Frosted Fudge Brownies

BROWNIES
250g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
200g sugar
125g butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
85g chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g chopped nuts

* I assume self raising?
** I used about 30g of chopped walnuts

FROSTING
42g butter or margarine, softened
28g chocolate
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g cup sifted powdered sugar

BROWNIES : COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat
sugar, butter, eggs, chocolate and vanilla extract in a small mixing
bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread
into a greased 8-inch-square baking pan.

BAKE in preheated oven (180C?) for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick
inserted in center comes out still slightly sticky. Brownies will darken
on cooling. Spread with Fudge Frosting.

FROSTING: BEAT butter, chocolate, milk and vanilla extract in a small
mixing bowl until well blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until
thick and creamy.

Are you using the right size pan. I use the brownie recipe from Joy of
Cooking and I find they good more evenly and have a much nicer texture if I
use a larger pan they the recipe calls for.

Quoted message said:

From : [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

Here's my recipe. Do not use self-rising flour, use plain (all purpose)
flour. I usually double the recipe and make in a 9x13" pan, or triple
it and make in a 4 liter lasagna pan. They don't need frosting.

Quoted message said:

(1 cup = about 235 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml. I really should convert the whole
thing to grams sometime)

I use this :

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm

Quoted message said:

Bob's Brownies

1/3 C cocoa
1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C salted butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C chopped walnuts or pecans

Peheat oven to 325°F. Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Add
remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture lightens in color. Bake
in greased 8x8x2" pan for 35 minutes.

Thanks. I'll give it a shot later in the week. Is there any particular
reason you use cocoa powder instead of chocolate? What difference does
it make as opposed to melted chocolate?

Quoted message said:

From : Julia Altshuler [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

I had to google on choco bake to find out what it was and got a giggle
out of it when I did. Pre-melted chocolate "ends the hassles of melting
chocolate." I suppose "hassle" is one way of looking at it, but I
rather enjoy the steps involved with home baking.

2 minutes in a microwave is hardly hassle!

Quoted message said:

Can you get this product in the U.K?
http://www.kraftfoods.com/BakersChocolate/BakersBrands.htm

I've never seen that particular brand though our supermarkets have
excellent ranges of Belgium cooking chocolate.

Quoted message said:

The chocolate itself is adequate. I like it fine, but others on this
list say it's not wonderful. I mention it because the recipe on the box
of unsweetened chocolate makes easy brownies. You melt the butter and
chocolate in the microwave, add the flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla, then
pour the batter into a greased brownie pan. There's little clean-up,
and I can testify to the middle of the pan baking through.

--Lia

This recipe?

Fudge Nut Brownies

http://tinyurl.com/2d3n7k

And this is what I meant by whacky ingredients :

1 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder

Benny said:

And this is what I meant by whacky ingredients :

1 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder

It's just baking powder. Calumet is a brand name. Any baking powder will
work.

Benny said:

Thanks. I'll give it a shot later in the week. Is there any particular
reason you use cocoa powder instead of chocolate? What difference does
it make as opposed to melted chocolate?

Cocoa powder gives a deeper flavor.

Benny said:

This particular mix is very heavy, sticky and difficult to spread in the
baking tin.

That's perfect. That is the batter you want for moist, fudgie brownies.

zxcvbob wrote on 26 Mar 2007 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Here's my recipe. Do not use self-rising flour, use plain (all purpose)
flour. I usually double the recipe and make in a 9x13" pan, or triple
it and make in a 4 liter lasagna pan. They don't need frosting.

(1 cup = about 235 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml. I really should convert the whole
thing to grams sometime)

I think 1 cup has been made 250 ml..... Yeah, I know that's not a true but
that's what it is in Canada.

On Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:04:29 GMT, Benny <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I found this recipe on the net last week and have tried it twice,
without success. The problem is it never cooks properly. The first time
I didn't use any baking powder so I assumed that was the reason for the
gooey middle. This time I used baking powder and let the mixture cook
for a full 30 minutes before doing the cocktail stick test. The mixture
was too gooey for my liking so I baked for another 5 minutes before
playing the cake tin on wire rack and leaving it too cool for 20
minutes. When I came back to the cake it's [censored] fell out i.e. the middle
collapsed. I flipped the brownie over and the middle looked patchy
compared to the rest of the mixture. I cut the brownie into pieces, it
tastes great but the middle part is gooey, though not as gooey as last
time. What am I doing wrong? Can someone recommend an alternative recipe
and please not one that uses those whacky American ingredients that we
can't get hold of in the UK!!!

Here's the recipe :

Frosted Fudge Brownies

BROWNIES
250g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
200g sugar
125g butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
85g chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g chopped nuts

* I assume self raising?
** I used about 30g of chopped walnuts

FROSTING
42g butter or margarine, softened
28g chocolate
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g cup sifted powdered sugar

BROWNIES : COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat
sugar, butter, eggs, chocolate and vanilla extract in a small mixing
bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread
into a greased 8-inch-square baking pan.

BAKE in preheated oven (180C?) for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick
inserted in center comes out still slightly sticky. Brownies will darken
on cooling. Spread with Fudge Frosting.

FROSTING: BEAT butter, chocolate, milk and vanilla extract in a small
mixing bowl until well blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until
thick and creamy.

Brownies are =supposed= to be dense and gooey in the middle. They're
not like cake, they're much moister than regular cake. They're really
halfway to fudge. Don't overbake them, or they'll be too dry. And
don't use self-rising flour, use regular bread flour (or whatever you
call it in England - flour without any baking powder, baking soda or
salt added to it).

Are you sure your oven's temperature is accurate
Cathy

Benny said:

Quoted message said:

From : [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

Here's my recipe. Do not use self-rising flour, use plain (all purpose)
flour. I usually double the recipe and make in a 9x13" pan, or triple
it and make in a 4 liter lasagna pan. They don't need frosting.

Quoted message said:

(1 cup = about 235 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml. I really should convert the whole
thing to grams sometime)

I use this :

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm

Quoted message said:

Bob's Brownies

1/3 C cocoa
1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C salted butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C chopped walnuts or pecans

Peheat oven to 325°F. Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Add
remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture lightens in color. Bake
in greased 8x8x2" pan for 35 minutes.

Thanks. I'll give it a shot later in the week. Is there any particular
reason you use cocoa powder instead of chocolate? What difference does
it make as opposed to melted chocolate?

It's easier, and I like the flavor -- although last time I made them I
used Nestle's cocoa instead of Hershey's and they were not as chocolaty
(but still good.)

Bob

Benny said:

I found this recipe on the net last week and have tried it twice,
without success. The problem is it never cooks properly. The first
time I didn't use any baking powder so I assumed that was the reason
for the gooey middle. This time I used baking powder and let the
mixture cook for a full 30 minutes before doing the cocktail stick
test. The mixture was too gooey for my liking so I baked for another
5 minutes before playing the cake tin on wire rack and leaving it too
cool for 20 minutes. When I came back to the cake it's [censored] fell out
i.e. the middle collapsed. I flipped the brownie over and the middle
looked patchy compared to the rest of the mixture. I cut the brownie
into pieces, it tastes great but the middle part is gooey, though not
as gooey as last time. What am I doing wrong? Can someone recommend
an alternative recipe and please not one that uses those whacky
American ingredients that we can't get hold of in the UK!!!

Here's the recipe :

Frosted Fudge Brownies

BROWNIES
250g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
200g sugar
125g butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
85g chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g chopped nuts

* I assume self raising?

No. Use regular white flour.

I have a hard time assessing this recipe without converting the grams to
ounces, which is too much work at this hour of the night.

I would suggest melting the butter before adding the sugar, eggs, and
chocolate, though. And don't overbeat after adding the flour.

Benny said:

Quoted message said:

From : Julia Altshuler [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

I'm dying to know what a whacky American ingredient is that can't be
gotten in the UK, one that might commonly be used in baking brownies.
Enlighten me, please. (I might be glad to send it to you if I knew
what it was.)

Things like Choco bake and brownie mix.

What the hell is Choco bake?

Quoted message said:

Benny said:

And this is what I meant by whacky ingredients :

1 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder

It's just a brand name...geez.

Quoted message said:

From : Janet Puistonen [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

No. Use regular white flour.

Thanks. I'm sure that's the reason why it hasn't turned out right.

Quoted message said:

I have a hard time assessing this recipe without converting the grams to
ounces, which is too much work at this hour of the night.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm

Quoted message said:

I would suggest melting the butter before adding the sugar, eggs, and
chocolate, though. And don't overbeat after adding the flour.

I always use an electric whisk to mix butter and sugar.

Quoted message said:

From : cathy <[email hidden]>
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

Brownies are =supposed= to be dense and gooey in the middle. They're
not like cake, they're much moister than regular cake. They're really

Over here they're like cake only denser so that's the texture I was
looking for.

Quoted message said:

halfway to fudge. Don't overbake them, or they'll be too dry. And
don't use self-rising flour, use regular bread flour (or whatever you
call it in England - flour without any baking powder, baking soda or
salt added to it).

We call it plain flour.

Quoted message said:

Are you sure your oven's temperature is accurate

Quoted message said:

Cathy

No. I'll have to get an oven thermometer.

In article <[email hidden]>,

ravenlynne said:

Benny said:

Quoted message said:

From : Julia Altshuler [email hidden]
Subject : Fudge Brownie Disaster!

Quoted message said:

I'm dying to know what a whacky American ingredient is that can't be
gotten in the UK, one that might commonly be used in baking brownies.
Enlighten me, please. (I might be glad to send it to you if I knew
what it was.)

Things like Choco bake and brownie mix.

What the hell is Choco bake?

Quoted message said:

Nestle's brand Pre-Melted Choco Bake -- cocoa and fat, in a squeezable
plastic pouch, each measured to be the equivalent of 1 ounce of
unsweetened baking chocolate.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://jamlady.eboard.com - Comfort Food for Bob Pastorio, updated
3-16-2007
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller - Hollandaise sauce 3-15-2007
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amytaylor