Fudgy Brownie Pie

I'm not a big chocolate person. There, I said it. While some people would jump for joy to discover little cocoa morsels when they bite into a seemingly innocent biscotti, I am much more likely to jump for joy upon discovering a little almond crunch or chewy cranberry. I like fruit and nuts. And I do like chocolate--the idea of chocolate at least. A little treat to reward yourself. A rich, decadent, creamy delight. But it was never really my favorite dessert. It was always just a little too bitter or a little too dry for me to request over such flavors as vanilla, almond, brown sugar--nutty and sweet or fruit jammy or peanut buttery even. In fact, I can forgive chocolate's bitterness if paired with something else like peanut butter or fruit (mmm, dark chocolate dipped strawberries...). And I've even gotten used to the bitter notes found in dark chocolate since I can't really eat much milk chocolate. But, for me, it's all just "okay."

Needless to say, I don't make brownies very often. I have posted exactly two brownie recipes on this blog and neither came into being because I was actually craving brownies (one came from a recipe that fell out of my cookbook and the other was for a children's program at work). Still, if someone asked me to make a baked good with chocolate I would not make a chocolate cookie or cake.

I'd make fudgy brownies.

For me, if you're going to have chocolate in a baked good, it needs to be moist. And if you're going to make a baked good at the end of a long workday, it needs to be easy.

After a quick search for brownie recipes online I came across one that mostly fit the bill: Fudgy Brownie Recipe. It already sounded like it could work. But was it easy to make? Seven main ingredients and the most work was melting the butter over a double boiler. I figured I could live with that (And I opted for melting butter in the microwave instead).

My adaptations, of course, always come into play, however. I reduced the butter just a tad, from 10 Tablespoons in the original recipe to 8 (an even stick), kept the sugar at just 1 cup and the cocoa powder at 3/4 cup. This was easier to me and (hopefully) helped make up for the cut in butter. I also wanted to use a pie tin because 1) I had an intriguing idea to add whipped topping to my brownies and 2) I do not currently own a brownie pan.

I was warned in the original recipe that these could be a little bitter. But with fudgy insides and a whipped topping idea to help add flavor contrast, I was hopeful it would at least get eaten when I brought it to the office for a coworker's birthday. Here's my final version of Fudgy Brownie Pie.

Ingredients

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (my always go-to, but regular flour probably works fine)

Directions

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl (such as glass) combine the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Then heat in the microwave approximately 1 minute or until butter is almost melted.

2.) Stir the ingredients until the butter is no longer visible and then set the bowl aside to cool about 6-8 minutes. Once the bowl is cool but not cold, add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each.

3.) Fold in the flour and stir gently until the flour is no longer visible. Then stir vigorously again about 40 times before pouring into an empty pie tin.

4.) Bake for approximately 20 minutes until a toothpick tested in the center comes out almost clean. You want it to have a little batter stuck to it so you know that it's moist. Though I personally didn't even test with a toothpick at all, not wanting to poke holes in my perfect little brownie pie. I just took it out at 20 minutes since it looked and smelled right.

5.) Cool pie in the fridge overnight, then top with whipped topping (I use a non-hydrogenated brand from Whole Foods: Truwhip) and shaved chocolate or chocolate sprinkles.

Since this pie was for a birthday, I couldn't exactly taste test it in advance (who all would dare cut into a celebratory treat before the birthday girl?). But I felt confident enough from my batter testing (and who all would resist licking the bowl of any baked good batter?) that the flavor at least wouldn't disappoint. After my coworker had the first piece and dubbed it "really good" (whew!) and "fudgy" (success!) I allowed myself a slice. And for a baker who's "not a big chocolate person" I sure wolfed my piece down. The center was, in fact, thickly fudgy (perfect for me, but if you worry about undercooking you can leave the pie in the oven an extra five minutes or so), not too bitter, and paired nicely with the whipped cream on top (I only had a dollop to avoid lactose issues).

I may not be a chocolate fanatic, but when my baking experiments turn out delicious for all I tend to jump for joy....