Grandma's Brownies Recipe by Inbar Zuckerberg

I have been following Inbar's work for quite some time now and I am very glad that we get to connect in this virtual world called Instagram. We become more than just casual InstaFam; we've become friends.

When I came across her post about her grandma's brownies, I thought of dedicating this page to her. I mean, grandmas are the best. They are always whipping out recipes outta thin air and you wonder why they don't use any measurement; they just eyeballed. Is that a superpower? Anyway, you can check out her original post:

I adjusted the ingredients to suit my cake pan. Brownies are one of the few foods which are sacred to me, and I have to say that this recipe is among my top 3. I mean, I had tested and tasted hundreds of brownies in my 39 years. And for crying out loud, brownies are not a cake. Period!

What tickled me is the addition of ground hazelnut. It adds that sorta underlying nutty oomph which kinda boosts the chocolate flavors very well. On top of that, there are whole nuts and white chocolate pistoles. Imagine the layers of textures and flavors, fudgy, nutty, chocolaty, crunchy, cwispy and just melt in your mouth sensation.

To cut thru' all that richness, I decided to add a very simple raspberry compote over the top while serving. That extra tartness actually helps. You can of cos follow Inbar's recipe by serving with fresh strawberries, raspberry jam and cream. Remember, you are the master of your dish and the plate is your canvas. In closing, I really hope you give this recipe a try and indulge in Grandma's brownies.

Ingredients:

By Inbar Zuckerberg

(Make One 8 x 8 Inch Brownie)

High Quality 70% Dark Chocolate Preferably Valrhona or Callebaut, 150g
Unsalted Butter, 150g
Eggs, 2
Demerara Sugar, 75g
Dark Muscovado sugar, 75g
Blanched Hazelnuts, 75g
Unbleached All Purpose Flour, 105g
High Quality Cocoa Powder Preferably Valrhona or Callebaut, 15g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Walnuts Halved, 40g
Pistachios Halved, 35g
High Quality 35% White Chocolate Preferably Valrhona or Callebaut Pistoles, 38g
Raspberries Frozen or Fresh, 200g
Maple Syrup, 30g
Spiced Rum, 45g

Equipment:

Food Processor
Hand / Stand Mixer
8 x 8 Inch Square Cake Pan
Sauce Pot
Oven
Double Boiler

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 170 degree celsius or 340 fahrenheit.
Grease the cake pan with butter.
Line with parchment paper and grease with butter as well. Set aside until ready to use.
Melt chocolate and butter on a double boiler.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool down slightly.
In a large bowl, add eggs.
Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk until light and fluffy.
Add in sugar and whisk until well combined or until the sugar has dissolved.
Fold in the melted chocolate mixture.
Blitz blanched hazelnuts in a food processor until powder forms.
*To blanch hazelnuts, add 1.5 TBSP of baking soda in a pot of 200g of boiling water. Once the baking soda stop fizzing, add in the hazelnuts and blanch for 3 mins. You can test by removing 1 hazelnut from the pot and plunge into a bowl of ice water. If the skin comes off easily, drain the rest of the hazelnuts and plunge into the ice water. Once the skins are all peeled, drain and air dry, preferably overnight.*
Transfer the ground hazelnuts into the brownies mixture.
In a small bowl, combine flour and cocoa powder.
Sift the flour-cocoa mixture into the brownies mixture, 1/2 portion at a time.
Fold until well combined.
Add in salt and give it a final fold.
Once everything is incorporated, transfer half of the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Sprinkle the nuts and white chocolate evenly over the top.
Cover with the remaining brownies batter.
Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Wack into the oven and bake for 15 to 17 mins.
The brownies should have a glossy shine and barely set.
While the brownies are baking, add raspberries and maple syrup into a sauce pot over medium heat.
Swirl the pot to prevent burning.
Once the raspberries start to render out their juices, add in rum.
*Be very careful while doing this as it might flambé.*
Cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Carefully unmold and slice into squares.
Transfer a couple of slices onto a serving plate and drizzle that raspberry compote over the top.
Serve while it is still warm.