Brownie Pudding

How was everyone's Super Bowl?  I can't tell you how the game is but I know two things: 1. Madonna should not dance around like a stripper with pom poms, regardless of how great she looks at 53.  2. Our friends can throw down when it comes to cooking.  A few highlights: pizza rolls and ham sliders (as in these) by my friend Meghan, I will for sure be recreating those pizza rolls.  A vat, as in, a huge crock pot filled with cheese dip by our buddy, Kurt.  I was told I couldn't have the recipe because he had no idea what he all threw in it. My kind of cooking. Taco dip by the hostess, Sam and fantastic monster cookies whipped up by Kristin. There was also cressent roll-ups with bacon and cheese, veggies, BWW boneless wings, tons of candy and a Dirt Dessert (yes, that is correct) made with love by Jeremy.  I made turkey wontons and a Little Debbie recreation.  I will post about them later this week.  There was so much food, catching up and laughing in the kitchen while the boys watched the game.  Fantastic evening.

On my way home, I had a revelation: football is over until next fall.  That made me seriously happy.  Mr. Schwartz is totally into football and I'm sure part of him is kind of sad but really, I'm happy to not have to watch it.  I'm a bad wife.  

Speaking of being a bad wife, this is a dessert that Mr. Schwartz wouldn't even look at.  I offered him the tiniest little bite and he turned his face away like the three-year-old in a 27 year old body he is.  His loss.  It has crunchy edges and a molten brownie batter center.  Hot out of the oven with whipped cream....  Oh momma.  I made it a few weeks ago for a dinner I had with my graduate school friends.  I think it would be a perfect Valentine's Day dessert...if your valentine likes chocolate.  I guess I'll be making white cake instead.  

Musical Selection:  Like A Prayer by: Madonna.  I know, I just got done ragging on her but this song has been stuck in my head ever since she pretended to sing it during half time.

Start by combining the dry ingredients.  Ina (as in Garten from the Food Network, the developer of the recipe), said to sift it.  I didn't.  I'm a baking rebel.

Toss the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl that you can use a hand mixer with.

Toss in the powdered sugar and the regular white sugar.  Yes, I modified the heck out of this recipe.  I ran out of white sugar and had to use powdered sugar.  Ultimately, it turned out just fine.  But, if you have the full amount of white sugar, just use that.

Whip it up for about 5 minutes.

Add some vanilla.  Yes, the recipe says "seeds scraped from one vanilla bean."  I'm sorry, not all of us live in the Hamptons, Ina.  We don't all have a million dollars and expensive Tahitian vanilla beans falling out of our pantries.  I'm cheap, live in Minnesota and cook with cream of everything soups.  Deal with it, sista. I mean that in the nicest way, keep making fantastic recipes because I love them.

Moving on, add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Mixing slowly.

Until it looks like this.

Add the melted butter.  I probably could have let this cool a bit longer but I needed to get things going.

Oh man, look at that brownie batter silk.

Pour it into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Again, I didn't follow her directions for the baking dish.  I wanted it to be thicker so I used a 9inch round baking dish with high sides.

Perfection.

I did follow this direction of putting it in a larger casserole dish with hot water half way up the side.

I baked it for one hour and took it out to cool while we had dinner.

When it was time to serve I topped it with whipped cream.  From a can, not from a designer cow in the Hamptons.

You know you want that. 

Brownie Pudding: 

• 2 sticks, unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon, vanilla extract 
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish (or 9inch round baking dish with high sides) with cooking spray.  Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. While the eggs and sugar are mixing, combine the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with whipped or ice cream.  

Recipe slightly adapted from: here