* Exported from MasterCook * Simply the Best Chocolate Brownies 2 Recipe By : Philip M Tilley Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Brownies Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 tb Unsalted butter -- +1 ts 1/4 c All-purpose flour -- +1 ts 2 tb Unsweetened cocoa 1 ts Baking powder 1/2 ts Salt 3 oz Unsweetened chocolate -- - broken into 6 pieces 2 oz Semisweet chocolate -- - broken into 4 pieces 3 Eggs 1 c Granulated sugar 1 ts Vanilla 1/4 c Sour cream Macadamia Variation: 4 oz Semisweet chocolate -- - cut into 1/4" chunks 4 oz Semisweet chocolate 1 1/2 c Raw macadamia nuts Peanut Raisin Variation: 1 1/2 c Raisins 1 1/2 c Unsalted peanuts Hazelnut Cake Ganache: 1 1/2 c Heavy cream 12 oz Semisweet chocolate 1 cl Hazelnuts -- chopped, toasted Butter and flour a square baking pan. Sift together dry ingredients. Melt butter in a double boiler; add chocolate and melt. Beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate mixture until well combined. Add dry ingredients. Add sour cream. Place batter in prepared pan and bake at 325°F for 40 minutes. Macadamia Chocolate Chunk Brownies: Add 4 oz semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4" chunks, to the batter. Add another 4 oz semisweet chocolate to the top, along with 1-1/2 cups raw, unsalted macadamia nuts. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the cooking time. Peanut Raisin Brownies: Add 1-1/2 cups raisins to the batter. Spread 1-1/2 cups unsalted peanuts on top. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the cooking time. Hazelnut Brownie Cake: Pour 1 recipe of the basic brownie into a 9" cake pan, and bake as directed above. Hazelnut Cake Ganache: In a double boiler, melt chocolate into boiling cream to form a ganache. Pour 1 cup of ganache over 1 cup chopped hazelnuts. Cut cake in half and spread hazelnut-ganache mixture in between the layers. Pour plain ganache over cake as an icing. Pipe ganache which has been refrigerated for 10 to 15 minutes onto the cake in the form of stars as decoration. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -