Baking Better Brownies

I used to believe that the best brownies came from a boxed mix.  I was wrong.  Chocolate Buttermilk Brownies proved that.  I think my belief came from the fact that most of the homemade brownies I tested before called for melted chocolate and they were dry, flavorless, and generally awful.  Experiments in my own kitchen (and anecdotal evidence from my mother and mother-in-law) have led me to believe that melted chocolate is the culprit in dry, flavorless, bad baked goods.  I found that cakes and cookies are better with unsweetened cocoa powder.  It seems wrong that cakes and cookies would have more chocolate flavor by using no prepared chocolate, but that's what I found.

The recipe that taught me homemade brownies can be just as rich, decadent, and fudgey as boxed mixes is excellent, and still a go-to for when I need a brownie fix, but I don't always have buttermilk on hand.  I know I could use sour milk, but sometimes I don't want frosted brownies or I just want something simple.  And I needed a recipe that used my pantry staples, so I kept searching for the perfect brownie recipe.  Unfortunately, most of the basic brownie recipes I found called for the evil melted chocolate, so I discounted them out of hand.  Yes, I know it's prejudicial, but I have not had success with any backed good with melted chocolate and I just don't want to be disappointed, so I have stricken those types of recipes from my kitchen.

We were given a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, and like most other alcoholic beverages, I am far more likely to cook with the Bailey's than I am to drink it, so when I was idly searching the internet for brownie recipes and happened upon a variation with cocoa powder and Bailey's Irish Cream, I knew that would be the one I needed to test.  The more I mulled this recipe over in my head, the more I knew it was perfect for me -- cocoa powder made them worth trying, and not only would the Bailey's Irish Cream bring a welcome flavor addition, but it could take the place of the buttermilk for the dairy-richness in the final product.  Yes, it was definitely worth trying, but wait....the recipe called for melted chocolate chips.  Uh-oh, that's a problem.  But what if I tweaked the recipe just a bit?  I'd keep the chips, but add them at the end of mixing, to make them a sort of double chocolate brownie.  I would work with this.  Yes, I could.

So I tried them, with the tweak.  I think I have found another go-to brownie recipe.  The original recipe suggested a sprinkle of powdered sugar, but I decided against that as it would be too much of a good thing and might make the brownies too sugary-sweet.  The end result are rich, dense, fudgey brownies, with a bit of a kick.

Bailey's Irish Cream Double Chocolate Brownies 

1 cup flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓-½ cup dark chocolate baking chips

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line an 8x8 inch cake pan with aluminum foil, and grease foil.
• In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In large bowl, whisk together butter and eggs, until ribbons begin to form.
• Add sugar and continue whisking until mixture is light, creamy, and lemon colored.
• Add Irish Cream and vanilla, whisking until well incorporated.
• Stir in dry ingredients, just until everything is combined.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Turn batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly in pan.
• Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted slightly off center comes out clean.
• Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
• Remove from pan and foil; cut into 16 squares.

Adapted from:  Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies, Gimme Some Oven

My observations:

• The batter is a bit stiff so be careful to spread the batter all the way to the edges of the pan.
• These are fudgey-style brownies, even when fully baked, they will be rich, moist and dense.
• The Bailey's Irish Cream flavor is strong, even after baking; I would recommend against overindulging, though 2 brownies would not be a bad thing.
• Next time I am debating using white chocolate chips or walnuts in the brownies.  I don't think either would be out of place.
• I also don't think the flavored varieties of Bailey's would be a bad choice.