An “Out of Control” Brownie

August 9, 2012
By: Kike Munoz

Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe is known for her impeccable sense of style, a mind-blowing clientele list and her particular catch phrases, as you’ve might have seen in the Rachel Zoe Project. But what happens when the hustle of red carpet season is over? She calms her nerves by baking and spoiling her team with all sorts of sweet treats.

That’s right, don’t be fooled by her emaciated frame, she’s a heck of a baker. At first, I saw the photos she uploaded to twitter, in which she baked away. Afterwards, someone asked her for her recipes, to which she replied she’d do a blog entry on that very soon. Finally, she shared two of her most beloved recipes through her web site, rachelzoe.com

Baking

After checking both of her recipes out, which were banana bread and brownies, I decided to put her scrumptious brownie recipe to the test. I purposely tried the brownie one because I’ve tested countless recipes claiming to be the best, but in reality they were the worst. But as Rachel Zoe would say, this recipe “shuts it down”. I seriously encourage anyone to try them out; they’re the best I’ve ever tried.

If you want to test it out yourself, just print out the recipe below.

Beyond Brownies

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sweet cocoa powder
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi sweet OR milk chocolate chips OR chunks
1/2 – 1 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, use a spoon to stir eggs with sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Add softened butter.
Sift ground chocolate with flour, baking powder and salt.
Stir dry mixture into egg mixture until blended and smooth.
Add chips and nuts. (DO NOT OVER STIR!)
Pour and spread evenly into a greased 8″ or 9″ square pan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes—less time for chewy and more time for cake-like brownies.
Makes 16-20 brownies.
Cut into squares when cooled.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving with vanilla ice cream

P.S. Don’t be afraid to double the recipe for a dinner party…they go FAST!

The procedure is very straightforward, although the mixing can take its toll on your arms. After adding the last ingredients, chocolate chips and nuts, the mixture gets pretty tough, so just stir until it all becomes even. At this point, it may seem a little dry, but don’t panic, it’s supposed to. Just pour and spread evenly into a 20cm square pan and in no time you’ll have the most comforting sweet ever.

So whether you’re calming you’re nerves after the most intense red carpet season, like Rachel, or a foodie searching for the perfect brownie recipe, like me, you’ll find comfort in these “insane” brownies.

Recipe from: http://www.rachelzoe.com/chocolate-brownie-recipe

Photos from: rachelzoe.com, onebigcloset.blogspot.com and dessertstalking.com