Battle of the Brownies update

This past weekend I went to the Poconos (in Pennsylvania) with about 17 of my friends. We rented a house together and had an awesome weekend.

This was also an awesome opportunity to taste test some brownies to solidify the winner of our brownie battle. So I made 5 batches of brownies. I made 2 batches of our winner, The New York Times Brownies, along with one batch of our 2nd place winner, Martha Stewart’s Brownies. In addition, I made 2 batches of a recipe that we had never tried and was recently featured on the cover of Bon Appetit, Bon Appetit’s Browned Butter Brownies.

The New York TImes Brownies…

Martha Stewart’s Brownies…

Bon Appetit’s Brownies…

After much taste testing…

It was really hard to declare a winner. Everyone has different taste buds so not every single person agreed. But it seemed that the majority did agree that the New York Times and Bon Appetit recipes were clear winners. Personally, I wasn’t a big fan of Martha Stewarts brownies. They weren’t bad, but they were just like any old brownie. The other two each had a uniqueness to them. The New York Times had an awesome gooey texture while the darker Bon Appetit brownies had a perfectly chocolatey flavor. I still am not sure which ones I like better. They both are winners in my book and each are two of the best brownies I ever had. As for the Martha Stewart brownies, I could do without them…although I will admit, they did grow on me after a while.

You will have to make them for yourself and let us know which brownies you declare winners.

Bon Appetit’s Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup walnut pieces (optional–I do not like nuts in my brownies!)

Directions

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, pressing foil. Coat parchment paper with butter.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).
Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts, if using. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake Brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using parchment overhand, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip cross-wise into 4 brownies. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Best if eaten within 2 days.