More Jaggery Nutella Brownies

Usually I like the idea of brownies more than the brownies themselves.  Especially when they're commercially made, I find them so sweet they sting my mouth, and there's a strange flatness in their taste, possibly from the white flour.  These brownies are made with more substantial ingredients, whole wheat, nutella and jaggery, a raw Indian sugar.

I will confess here that I've posted this recipe before, but since we gobbled them down so quickly, I couldn't take any pictures.  Today I made these for our Tai Chi High Tea, a mother's day event.

This time I veered a little off the original recipe. My first recipe is very rich and squishy, and since these brownies need to be transported to the Tai Chi centre, and eaten while standing up, (in the middle of parting wild horse's mane, for example) I wanted them a little less squishy.  So I added additional whole wheat flour, increasing the amount to two thirds a cup.  I also cut down on the butter just a smidge, say a scant half cup rather than a level half cup.

You'd be crazy not to lick the spoon and cup afterwards...

This recipe takes three hours including cooling time and makes 9 two inch brownies.  325F.

Otherwise, I've used the same recipe:

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (reserve a little)

scant 1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup jaggery (raw Indian sugar, or use brown if you must)
1 cup nutella

First, mix the flour and salt in a separate bowl.  In the mixing bowl, combine cooled melted butter, eggs, vanilla and jaggery.  Beat at medium speed till jaggery is dissolved.  Add the nutella.  (You are allowed to lick the spatula and measuring cup later.)

Beat till the jaggery is smoothly mixed in.

Turn the mixer onto low, and add half the flour mix, along with half the melted butter. Slowly mix in.  Add the rest of the flour and butter and continue to beat at medium speed.

Pour the batter into a parchment lined eight by eight inch pan.  Smooth with a spatula, and sprinkle in mere grains of the remaining coarse salt. These morsels need to be few and far between.

Bake at 325 F for thirty-five minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for one hour.  Lift parchment and brownies from pan and continue to cool for another hour before cutting into squares.

As I said in my original recipe, these don't need icing.  If you like them super sweet, you could go ahead and make a chocolate butter icing, but why?  They are delicious as they are.

Even prettier when the nutella is blended in.

Too bad I couldn't keep the lot.

But no, I cut them up into two inch squares, wrapped them in saran, and I will confess I cut off this one rough edge, so hubby and I could each have a taste.

Yummmmmm

Nutella Brownies with Jaggery by Jeanne

Nutella Brownies with Jaggery by Jeanne 

See update below!

I know, I know, there’s really no justification for Nutella brownies in an Indian recipe blog, but I instructed Jeanne to use jaggery powder (Punjabi raw cane sugar), so thus I dare to include these. 

As I’ve mentioned in the last few postings, Jeanne drove seven hours to visit me, and attend our barbershop barbecue, as she loves this style of music.  She kindly helped us to prepare for the party, and together we adapted this recipe for Nutella Brownies.  I first received the basis for this recipe through an email from my sister years ago, but I have no idea from where that originated. 

As you can see above, Jeanne is a much neater cook than I am, carefully placing ingredients into little containers beforehand, as opposed to my own slapdash and toss ‘em in method.

I rarely bake brownies, or other sweets, so I didn’t realize that the cooling off period is a good indicator of how gooey the brownies will be.  Jeanne, who bakes a lot, nearly went delirious with joy when she saw this recipe has a two hour cooling off period.  She knew they’d be killer gooey from that indicator, and they certainly are.  I found them a bit too buttery, but she frantically insisted that less butter would have made them too ordinary.  Ordinary they’re not: 

   

Gobbled up before a pic could be taken!

½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ teaspoon coarse salt (reserve some)
2 eggs
1 cup Nutella
½ cup jaggery powder (gur or raw cane sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup melted butter 

Preheat oven to 325F and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In one bowl mix flour and most of the salt.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs at medium speed, then add nutella, jaggery and vanilla.  Slow the speed right down and alternately add the flour and melted butter.  Pour into the pan, and spread out with a spatula.  Sprinkle a few of the salt crystals across the top.  These must be very few and very far between.  It will be the lucky person who finds a single salt crystal on their brownie.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Actually, I just made these again this May 2014, but with a squidge more flour and a squat less butter.  They're not as squishy and dense as the recipe on this page.  Find the recipe for this pic at http://cardamombliss.blogspot.ca/2014/05/more-jaggery-nutella-brownies.html

Cool in pan for two hours, yes this is the magic number that indicates these brownies are especially gooey.  Cut into very small pieces, as they are so rich. 

Under no circumstances should you  even think of spreading icing on these.  They are already so flavour packed, sweet and gooey, that you’d taste nothing but the icing itself.  What a waste of delicious ingredients that would be!  Same goes with adding walnuts or other flavourings. 

I am normally one to gild the lily, but in this case, if you really must add something, limit it to perhaps some nice silver or if you have it, gold foil.  Not aluminum foil, but the pure beaten silver or gold foil that is edible and available in good Indian grocery stores.  Honestly, these beauties must be served as is!

Thanks once more to Jeanne for her fabulous culinary skills.  Anybody else want to come visit me?

In the absence of pictures owing to too much yakking and gobbling, I dare to include this treasure, found on Facebook, which in turn was found by Radhika at Tickling Palates:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/lechariotdedesserts  

For some strange reason, several food bloggers were alarmed when I posted on FB that I'd include this pic on my Nutella Brownies post.  But everyone knows that cherubs are the essence of the divine!  Only heavenly stuff can come from them...

Update: October 10, 2012  I'm finally getting around to saying that Jeanne's latest idea is to beat the jaggery into the liquids first, so that it's fully dissolved, and to add 2 tablespoons of good cocoa powder to the recipe!  I preferred the texture of the first recipe, but Jeanne likes this smoother, more chocolatey version!