This post originally contained a link to a recipe in The Daily Herald for Shirley Corriher's Brownies. It no longer works, so here's a slightly paraphrased version of the recipe. It is adapted from Bakewise, which is still one of the best books on baking chemistry.
Shirley Corriher's brownies call for cake strips. If you want to make the brownies now and don't have cake strips, a quick Google search will bring up loads of ways you can make your own cake strips. I used the method of rolling damp paper towels up in foil. It seemed to work well, but I'll probably order some cake strips and use those next time.
Fudgy Brownies
In Bakewise, Shirley share two different brownies recipes. If you can't tell by the photo, these are the fudgy ones. I took the tip from a reader and used unsweetened chocolate rather than the German's and liked the results.
I really need to make these again. The only issue is this recipe makes a full 9x13 inch pan, which is more than we usually need. I'll have to halve it, which means 2 large eggs and an awkward amount of 1 ½ egg yolks. I'll update the photo soon.
Recipe
Shirley Corriher's Brownies
Equipment
- Cake Strips
Ingredients
- 1-½ cups pecans
- 1-½ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, divided
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- 1 ounce German’s Sweet Chocolate OR unsweetened chocolate tip from reader
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1-½ cups dark brown sugar packed
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1-½ cups spooned and leveled bleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Have shelf in center of oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
- Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. While the nuts are hot, stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter. When cool, coarsely chop and set aside.
- Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with release foil or parchment. With release foil you won't need extra fat for greasing. If you don't have release foil you can use regular foil and grease the bottom or you can use parchment.
- Place the remaining 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter around the edge of a microwave-safe glass bowl. Place the semisweet and sweet chocolate in the center. Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave on 100% power for 1 minute, stirring at least 2 times, and then 15 seconds more, stirring 1 time. Otherwise, melt in a double boiler or saucepan over lowest heat.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork just to blend whites and yolks. With a minimum of hand stirring, stir together the eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt.
- By hand, (again with a minimum of stirring), stir together the egg mixture and the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out.
- Soak cake strips in water and wrap around the outside edge of the pan as directed.
- Bake at 300 degrees F until brownies just begin to pull away from the edge of the pan, about 1 hour. Err on the side of undercooking rather than risk drying out the brownies.
- Cool completely in the pan or a rack. Remove the brownies from the pan, using the parchment or foil overhang to help lift out the brownies. When completely cool, wrap the brownies well with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove brownies from pan and cut into squares.
Ellen Waybright
I substitute 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate for 1 oz sweet, much nicer.
Anna
Rachel, the Baked brownies were pretty good.
Katy, I agree! I love Shirley, but some of the sweets are too sweet. For instance, the crinkle cookies.
Emily, I don't know. It's a little sweeter than regular semi-sweet. I wouldn't bother using it, though. As for the butter, it firms up when you chill the brownies. If you eat the brownies cold they won't be greasy, but they might be at room temp. Then again, the Palmer brownies had a ton of fat and they didn't taste greasy.
Emily
I don't get why she used German chocolate. I would just leave it out.
It seems like too much butter. Is a greasy brownie necessarily a better brownie?
I sound mean! I'm not trying to sound like that. I'm just thinking.
Katy
Shirley is a traditional southerner and she likes her baked goods sweet. I have found her chocolate recipes too sweet in general, but texturally perfect. I would substitute some unsweetened chocolate is this recipe and guess it would make them more like the Baked brownie. Don't change the sugar as that would alter the texture.
clumbsycookie
Still on my to-do list...
Janice
Huge 2nd for the Baked recipe!
Rachel B
Try the brownies in "Baked," Meredith, if you like really powerful chocolate! I've already made them three (maybe four?) times. They're now among my five or six favorite brownie recipes ever.
I'm curious about Corriher's brownies since I trust her knowledge of chemistry, but they seem to have a lot of sugar in proportion to chocolate. I'm eager to have somebody else try the recipe first. 🙂
Katrina
I'll bet those are stinkin' good, what with 7 egg (yolks), all that butter and lots of sugar, oh and the chocolate! Those brownies will probably only be in my dreams. Sigh.
Meredith
Funny -- I was just looking at this recipe in Bakewise this a.m. and trying to decide whether to try Shirley's version or the version in "Baked". (I've checked both books out of the library). The German's Sweet Chocolate makes me hesitate....I can never find it at my grocery store. Anxious to hear your take on these!
Elyse
Judging from all of her recipes in Bakewise, I'm sure these brownies are over-the-top good!