Go to the Recipe: The Ultimate Rich as F*¢K Brownie
Hi! Yes, that is normal for a whipped whole egg foam in this style. Technically some bakers would call this a pâte à bombe, which is yolks or whole eggs + sugar syrup. It never gets quite to a stiff peak, and adding the sugar syrup too quickly can deflate the mixture initially, but continued whipping should build back some volume. For this particular application, it's not too important to get stiff peak volume in the mixture, since it is, after all, a dense brownie and not, for example, a genoise cake.
Hope this helps!
Is the meringue supposed to deflate/get runny in the middle of adding the sugar syrup? Would like to know if I did something wrong or it’s supposed to be that way. Thanks dudes.
Call me crazy, but I could've sworn I remembered seeing this recipe years ago including other variations, one of which using purple sweet potato. This was before their official brownie parametric was created and released. Can't find anything of the sort now. Was this something I had imagined or seen in a ChefSteps activities page or what?!!
Glad they seemed to mellow out a bit the following day. Did you make yours with the dulce de leche drizzled in? I also make these brownies without the extra inclusions in step 11 (dulce de leche and milk chocolate). Omitting those or cutting in 1/2 does reduce the sweetness a lot. I would start with adjusting those before reducing sugar in step 5 with the syrup.
The following day, they sure were better and tasted less sweet. Maybe I jumped the gun above?
WOW... that was one overly sweet brownie! Any ideas on how to cut the sweetness but not affect the chewiness? I don't think i can just reduce the sugar, can I? You'll probably cancel my subscription after i say this, but... Ghirardelli box brownies are still the best
Hi!
I’m testing your brownie recipe in a convection oven and I’m running into two things
After adding the wheat flour, my batter becomes significantly thicker than what’s shown in the video, even though all ingredients are weighed exactly. I’m using European all-purpose wheat flour.
-Could this be due to flour type (protein/gluten content)? Would you recommend using a different flour or a blend (for example mixing wheat flour with some potato starch or cornstarch) to get a looser, more fluid batter like in the video?
-Do you have recommended baking settings specifically for convection ovens?
At 155°C for 45 minutes, my brownie reached 98°C internal temperature, which felt too high for a fudgy texture.
Thanks a lot! the flavor is amazing, I’m just trying to dial in the texture in an oven setup
If I were to double up the recipe. Do I need two trays and bake together or would the batter hold up until one is baked?
You don’t have to worry about fat here, as this merengue uncharacteristically includes egg yolks anyways so it’s full of fat. This merengue is going to get very thin when you first add sugar, although adding it too quickly could cause a sudden collapse. After 15 min of whisking it will cool down enough to thicken back up to a sort of honey consistency, but it’s never going to hold a peak or anything
Has anyone tried this with adding espresso powder and blooming the cocoa powder?
I noticed the same thing happened to mine and had to re-watch the video a couple of times and see how it compared to my meringue before moving on. I definitely whisked it long enough- 15-17 minutes- but realized that mine looked just like the video. The thing that made it hard to tell was that the video of him holding up the whisk attachment was in slow-mo and made it look thicker than it was. Remember, it isn't a true Italian meringue so it won't have stiff (or even medium) peaks, just ribbons. But mine came out just fine, were definitely chewy enough and you said your end result was fine, too, so I figure the collapsing of the meringue is normal.
It could be the size of the chips you used. I just made these and had the same thing happen, however, I kind of anticipated it bc I used mini chocolate chips. In the video he uses larger disc-shaped pistoles.
Hi, What is the best way to store these? And how long do they store for?
Hi, i get a cakey brownie. I used AP flour. It might be it?
Hey, ChefSteps! Been a big fan of yours since 2015! Love everything you guys do. I was wondering if it would be possible to do a blondie version of this recipe. How would you guys approach that? Would you substitute the white sugar w/ brown sugar? Would I just use more brown butter in place of the chocolate and add more flour? What are your guys' thoughts? Thank you for all that you do!
Hola, estaría genial si hubiera subtítulos en español en los videos.
Hello Lee, great question. I recommend substituting 90 or 85% cocoa dark chocolate for the weigh of the unsweetened chocolate. If you can't find that I've substituted 70% dark chocolate in a pinch and I promise you it will still be delicious and rich as F*¢K!
Oops. Thanks
What can I substitute for Unsweetened Chocolate? It’s not available on Amazon. Tganjs
Great recipe! Any way to make this recipe into a blondie recipe?
Love it!! Made the recipe as is and it came out great. Thank you!!
We have you pull it a few degrees under since it will carry over the temp and for this application it is safer to be a little under than over.
Did anyone answer you ever?
This was such a fun adventure. I was able to use many skills I've learned over the years to make the most amazing, decadent brownies ever. No crumbs left (and if there were, I would sprinkle them over ice cream)!
@chefsteps you say to cook the sugar to hard ball 248 °F / 120 °C but isnt that still firm ball? Doesnt hard ball beginn at 250°F / 122°C?
Same for me, they were perfectly fluffy and collapsed when I added the sugar. Can that really be from fat when they had already whipped up so well?
All the chocolate chunks melted completly into the brownie and didnt solidify in any way agin to provide that extra bit of textrure. Does anyone have an idea why? These Brownies are amazing by the way, though I think I'll reduce the sugar next time a bit
They will keep well for about 5-6 days at room temperature.
How many days do they last out of the fridge?
Incredible recipe thanks !
thermoworks chef alarm is the go to
Sounds like the classic spot of fat, like a dirty bowl or whip. Be sure to clean your mixing bowl and hold the whip up to a light to inspect for any leftover food on tines.
Making this recipe for the second time - absolutely fantastic! But, when streaming in the sugar the meringue completely collapsed, it did recover slightly after whipping again. The mixture was quite runny after that point. Any ideas why?
I overcooked them slightly. Definitely check them after 40 min or so. The temp after 45 min was 210 so I had to pull them out right away. Im a bit of a purist when it comes to brownies so I opted to leave out the dulce de leche. I had some leftover mini chocolate chips so I folded those in. They taste amazing. For the amount of sugar in these things I thought they would be insanely sweet but they weren't, which is a good thing. I'll have to make another batch with the dulce next time. They're definitely the perfect combination of fudge and chew, and an extremely glassy top which I accidentally smudged taking them out of the oven. The one unfortunate thing about this recipe is in my opinion the stand mixer is required. Using this technique with just a hand mixer seems extremely dangerous.
I made this recipe and love it except I could used some help. I waited the 50mins and when I checked the temperature it was over 200. After I let it cool, it still seems underbaked? It was too fudgey and not quite like the pictures or comments I’ve seen. Any recommendations?
1.5 inches is the usual thickness so you are close. Whipping the eggs and mixing in the foam could be an area where you could lose volume.
I've made these twice now and they're fantastic but I've never gotten close to two inches thick. They are more like an inch and a quarter thick at most. Am i doing something wrong?
Ahhh I see thank you. Do you know of any similar products that are available for purchase by themselves?
Hi Matthew, that is actually an accessory that is part of the control freak induction burner.
Where can I purchase that candy thermometer and attachment for the side of the sauce pot?
You must bake it after you mix, the leavening agents won't last for storage. Best option would be to freeze some after you bake it.
Hello there 👋🏻, if i make it in a big batch and i dont bake it all one time since making it consumes quite alot of time. So can i store the rest of the batter in fridge? If so how long can it last? Thanks
For sure. It will work very well.
Hi guys, one question. Can I use caputo pasticceria flour with 11gr of protein for this recipe? You think it's good for this? https://www.mulinocaputo.it/prodotti/pasticceria/
Yes. And no. It will take longer to reach saturation with the larger amount of water but the outcome will be the same.
If you cut the sugar in half would you need to cut the water in half as well?
Excellent!
SO, I decided to give it a go one more time. Still had the 106g of applesauce and 50g of flax meal. But this time, per your last reply, I whipped one whole can's worth of aquafaba to medium stiff peaks. Poured in the melted chocolate, along with the applesauce/sugar mixture, along with all the other ingredients with 130g of pureed chickpeas going in last. NO OIL POOLING! And it finally solidified like it was supposed to. 1 hour bake instead of 50 minutes. My friends and family LOVED it. Thank you for all the patience and suggestions!
Hello Eric, Go ahead and try the 106 g apple sauce and stick with the 50 g of flax meal.
I would start with replacing the egg measure with the applesauce and mixing in 50 grams of flax meal. Allow to hydrate and gel for around 10 minutes. Omit the whipping to a ribbon or cooking the sugar. Do mix the sugar and the flax/applesauce mixture together and whisk this into the warm chocolate butter mixture. Then mix in the salt, miso, and vanilla and last the dry mix.
Any update on my follow-up question?
Hello Rhaya, These are very rich and sweet but, divine. You can cut the sugar in half and still have a very stable meringue. The brownie might not be as glassy on the top. Happy baking.
So, don't hate me, but I'm thinking this might be quite sweet with over half kilo of sugar and the dulce de leche. Reducing the sugar is going to affect the meringue stability isn't it? Sorry - I have a weirdly unsweet sweet tooth!
Any certain amounts of applesauce and flex meal I should use/try? Some guidance with those in this recipe would be sorry helpful. My wife is sensitive to eggs. Thanks so much.
Hello Erik, This is a tough one since we rely on making a whipped egg foam. You can try using an egg substitute like Just eggs but, you probably won't get the volume when whipping. The shine may be an issue too when baked. A bakery substitute that you can try is apple sauce and flax meal. This will add the moisture needed that eggs provide and the stickiness from the flax to bind. There are potato starch based egg substitutes out there but, again the whipping and hot syrup may be an issue. Whipping and hot syrup may not be the way to go when using a substitute like a starch.
On another note flax egg whites may work since they whip and make great meringue. Boil some flax seeds in water and strain, then reduce until thick and very viscous.
Any way to make this egg-free?
I am not typically a brownie fan (Chef Steps croissants are my go-to) but, the name of this recipe... well how could I not try? WOW, these are by far the most delicious chocolatey, textured, crispy crusted, beautiful brownies I have ever tasted!! Thank you Chef Steps, you teach me a new technique with every recipe and I cannot wait to share these with my brownie loving friends and neighbours.
So pleased read that I’m not the only one to think these are the best brownies I’ve ever made, and possibly ever tasted. Category killer. 🙇♂️
did this recipe and totally forgot to add the milk chocolate chips in the middle and this it was still great. now i wait and see how long these last because they are too rich to polish off on my own haha
