Mesoamerica is often considered the ‘homeland’ of chocolate due to its significance for many ancient cultures in this region, but the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, in fact originated in the tropical rainforests of South America. Until now, though, our understanding of the plant’s early use – and how and when it spread to other parts of the Americas – has been limited.
The true culprits behind blemishes are likely a complex interplay of factors like genetics, hormones, age and stress.
EATING chocolate could halve the risk of gum disease, researchers believe. Antioxidants from cocoa beans particularly in dark chocolate may be behind it, the experts reckon.
Holland America Line is partnering with Lindt to offer sweets to guests at various points during their cruise. Under the partnership, guests will find Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles or sea salt milk chocolate truffles in their stateroom after returning from their once-a-cruise Gala Night activities. Guests will also see Lindt chocolate desserts on their dinner menu, such as a tulip-shaped chocolate mousse cake. Other desserts, including Lindt sundae, Lindt flourless chocolate cake, and Lindt chocolate tulips will be available.
The leader of a scamming network that operated via false chocolate sales has been sentenced to a prison term and a fine by the Walloon Brabant Criminal Court. The group hired vehicles under false names, sought out elderly individuals and sold them chocolate. Disguised as scouts, they insisted on digital transactions only, declining cash payments and offering to assist the targeted senior citizens by entering their confidential PINs on their behalf. Once in possession of the necessary codes, the group would return a fake bank card, identical to the original. These cards had been stolen from the same bank during previous illegal operations. By the time victims realized their debit cards had been swapped, the culprits had already made withdrawals and purchases from their accounts.
Nestlé, which manufactures KitKat candy bars, has issued a stern warning for consumers who love chocolate. The food company, which manufactures popular brands such as KitKat, Toll House and Nesquik, claims that consumers have yet to feel the full impact of the global cocoa shortage, and that it will soon start to put a damper on their wallets as companies are facing higher costs to make goods that contain the ingredient.
In 2021, Godiva closed all of its cafes and stores in North America. What prompted the brand to shut down in-person visits in the U.S. all in one sweep? It turns out smaller restaurants weren’t the only ones to struggle during the pandemic. In March 2021, Godiva closed 128 stores due to a declining number of in-person shoppers and a shift in consumer buying habits caused in part by the rise of Covid-19 in 2020.
Chocolate lovers may have been alarmed by a 2023 Consumer Reports finding that some dark chocolate brands could contain harmful levels of lead and cadmium. However, a new study by Tulane University published in Food Research International has found that dark chocolate poses no adverse risk for adults and contains nutritionally beneficial levels of essential minerals.
Researchers at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with start-up Koa and chocolate manufacturer Felchlin, have developed a new type of chocolate that fully utilizes the cocoa fruit. This innovation aims to improve sustainability, nutritional value, and farmers’ income.
M&M’s has a new flavor that’s holiday-specific, but you won’t necessarily have to wait until then to find it. M&M’s is launching a brand new Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Flavor that will soon hit store shelves nationwide. Even though summer has yet to officially start, you won’t have to wait for sweater weather to enjoy the flavors of pumpkin spice wrapped in a milk chocolate shell. Fans of the fall flavor can grab a bag to devour while sitting poolside. In addition to the new pumpkin pie flavor, fan favorite M&M’s Ghouls in a blend of milk chocolate, peanut, and peanut butter will also be making a comeback for the season, along with the Ghoulish Green Snickers and Twix bars.
Hot chocolate — a treat some believe to be the bane of a clean diet — could actually help you lose weight, one expert claims. Steve Bennett, a health coach, told The Sun that one cup per day could actually help people shed pounds because it is packed with fiber, which satiates hunger. Read more, HERE.
Cacao farmers and chocolate makers in Thailand’s “capital in the north,” Chiang Mai, are giving European chocolatiers a run for their money.
Scientists have produced chocolate made solely with ingredients from a cocoa pod—using every component of the fruit, cutting not only waste, but also carbon.
Scientists might have found a way to make chocolate a bit healthier, a new study reports. Chocolate is made from the cocoa fruit by extracting cocoa mass and cocoa butter but there are actually many ingredients in the cocoa fruit that go unused.
Police have raided an Auckland dairy and found 50 blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate allegedly taken from a supermarket earlier that day and charged a man with receiving stolen goods.
In NYC, chocoholics are paying 20.66% above the rest of the country, according to a new report from consumer resource site CouponBirds.
Baskin-Robbins never disappoints when it comes to its sweet offerings. Between the rotating unique flavors offered each month and its must-try secret menu items, this place knows how to feed our dessert cravings and then some. And while the company may be known for its delicious ice cream, now it’s stepping into brand-new territory—out of the freezer and into the aisles. Though it’s a product we have not seen from them before, we are pretty sure we’re going to like it. Baskin-Robbins recently unveiled a brand new candy line-up at the 2024 Sweet & Snacks Expo, and the treats will be available to purchase as soon as later this summer. Like Dunkin’s similar collection of seasonal chocolates, the new candies are part of a collaboration with confectionary company Frankford Candy. The new candy line features two flavors of filled chocolates inspired by some of Baskin-Robbins’ best-selling scoops. First up, there is the Baskin-Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip made with dark chocolate candy stuffed with chocolate chips and mint-flavored creme, all offered in the perfect bite-sized form. Secondly, there’s the Baskin-Robbins Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, which is also made with dark chocolate that’s filled with chocolate chips, pieces of cookie dough, and vanilla-flavored creme. The chocolate candies come in adorable packaging that looks just like a pint of its frozen counterpart.
Starting in August, you’ll be able to purchase the candy varieties both online and at your local grocery store with the option of either a 3-ounce peg bag or a 5-ounce container. We know we’ll be patiently awaiting their arrival.
Nutella maker Ferrero Group has opened its first chocolate processing facility in North America. The 70,000-square-foot facility is located at Ferrero’s manufacturing campus in Bloomington, Illinois, which produces chocolates for several brands including Kinder, Ferrero Rocher, Butterfinger, and CRUNCH, the company added.
Cookie baked in space is preserved and can be seen by Smithsonian visitors. DoubleTree by Hilton’s signature chocolate chip cookie became the first-ever food baked in space aboard the International Space Station in 2019.
Sunday Night Foods, the Des Moines-based premium chocolate dessert sauces company, won the gold award in the dessert toppings category as part of the Specialty Food Association’s 2024 Sofi Awards. Eileen Gannon founded Sunday Night Foods in 2021 when she turned her love of baking and award-winning recipes into a business after working as a communications senior vice president at Workiva for 35 years. Her sauces come in chocolate, sea salt chocolate, dark chocolate and vegan chocolate, all described as brownie rich with subtle hints of vanilla and sea salt. The Sunday Night Sea Salt Chocolate Premium Dessert Sauce won the gold Sofi award. Now Gannon’s Sunday Night line of dessert toppings is found in more than 100 Hy-Vee grocery stores, 140 Fareway stores, as well as smaller markets such as Fresh Thyme, Gateway Market, and even Kitchen Collage in the East Village. Memorial Day weekend marks the brand’s appearance at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market, where they plan to be in person for five Saturdays this summer. Next up, Gannon and the Sunday Night crew head to New York City and the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in June.
Need a caffeine fix? This method beats brewing a cup of joe on the trail. Gossamer Gear founder Glen Van Peski, amongst a slew of minimalist tendencies, is known to carry chocolate-covered coffee beans (seven per day, to be precise) rather than brew coffee on the trail. Need your caffeine fix on the trail? Here’s why you should ditch the stove and go straight to the source – Trader Joe’s Chocolate-covered Coffee Beans. According to the USDA, 1 ounce of chocolate covered coffee beans (about 13 beans) contains 227 mg of caffeine—that’s three and a half shots of espresso, or two strong cups of coffee. And there’s no mug, stove, fuel, or water required, so you can save precious pack space. They’re More Instant than Instant Coffee. No Water Required. They’re Portable. They’re Delicious!
Penn State food scientist Gregory Ziegler experiments with substituting rice flour and/or oat flour to reduce the sugar content of chocolate. Ziegler says this indicates that there’s probably more sugar than needed in commercial chocolates and also that oat flour is a feasible sugar replacement. “You can take a product that’s already got some good health benefits; it’s got this neutral fat, you can get rid of some of the sugar, maintain some sweetness, but then add this fiber component through the starches,” he explains.
Cocoa futures surged above an unprecedented $10,000 a metric ton on Tuesday, March 26th, before erasing gains and taking a breather from a historic rally that has seen prices of the key chocolate ingredient double this year. The market is being rattled by poor crops in key West African growers that has put the world on course for a third straight annual supply deficit. The industry is grappling with the legacy of poor returns paid to cocoa farmers and fears are mounting about being able to source enough beans.
Cocoa futures have surged this year, roughly doubling since the start of 2024. Rising temperatures and weather conditions have stressed and damaged crops in West Africa, which produces more than 70% of the global cocoa supply. Big chocolate companies like Hershey’s and Cadbury maker Mondelez have been passing those costs on to consumers — and then some: Hershey’s net profit margins ticked higher to 16.7% in 2023 from 15.8% in 2022. Mondelez reported a jump to 13.8% in 2023 from 8.6% in 2022.
Blommer Chocolate announced in a news release Friday that it would close its Chicago manufacturing plant and expand and transform other facilities. The Chicago facility, located at 600 W. Kinzie St., is the original manufacturing plant of the Blommer group, founded in 1939. The Chicago location opening in 1939 made Blommer the third largest industrial chocolate maker in the world.
According to Food & Wine, cocoa prices are at a 47-year high. What caused this? Inflation plays a part, but the bigger issue at hand is that cocoa cultivation in both Africa, specifically Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador has reportedly become much more complicated due to drier weather patterns and rainfall changes. In addition, there was a shortage of cocoa “due to that unfavorable weather coupled with crop disease and smuggling” in Ghana; the smuggling is thought to have accounted for approximately 600 million in lost revenue as per the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Mars wants to make sure you have an eggcellent Easter. The candy makers revealed their lineup of new and returning spring candies. Most of the sweets stay true to their original flavors but get a limited-edition color and shape for Easter — but there is one new addition. The Easter Sundae M&M’S pack a variety of flavors into each piece. The brand new treats have a white chocolate center with vanilla ice cream and cherry notes, and are surrounded in a dark chocolate coating.
Europe is known for amazing food, from Italian espresso and gelato to French pastries, Czech beer, and Mediterranean seafood. It’s also an amazing continent for chocolate lovers, with numerous companies headquartered in various cities. Here are 11 European destinations to visit if you enjoy the sweet treat (click HERE)!
“Chocolate is basically fermented beans. It’s made from cocoa which is a prebiotic fiber, a type of fiber your gut microbes love to digest and turn into useful molecules for your gut,” explained National Health Service general surgeon Dr. Karan Rajan.
Scientists are getting a better taste of the early history of the domestication and use of cacao—the source of chocolate—thanks to residues detected on a batch of ancient ceramics from South and Central America. Using evidence from these artifacts, the researchers traced the rapid spread of cacao through trade routes after its initial domestication more than five millennia ago in Ecuador. They showed cacao’s dispersal to South America’s northwestern Pacific coast and later into Central America until it eventually reached Mexico 1,500 years later.
“Finer foods” such as chocolate and olive oil are about to get a lot more expensive thanks to a supply squeeze of key ingredients due to adverse weather and geopolitical unrest, fanning concerns about sticky inflation. Wet weather in West Africa has rocketed cocoa prices to all-time highs, making chocolate more expensive just before Easter.
Mars has confirmed they have discontinued one of its popular Easter treats. The milk chocolate rose gold-colored eggs, filled with crunchy caramel pieces, were launched in 2019.
Construction in Barcelona revealed a medieval mansion unknown to archaeologists with remains of a chocolate factory still within it. A construction site in Spain last year accidentally uncovered the remains of a 14th century mansion that once housed a chocolate factory. The factory helped make renowned Clemente Guardia chocolates, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Chocolate lovers rejoice: Krispy Kreme and Hershey’s have joined forces to create what the doughnut chain is calling its “chocolatiest creations ever.” “For chocolate and doughnut lovers, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Hershey’s chocolate is the ultimate pairing,” Krispy Kreme’s Global Chief Brand Officer Dave Skena said in a press release. “But our Chocomania Collection is on an entirely new level. These are the chocolatiest doughnuts we’ve ever created and we invite our fans to go all-in on enjoying and sharing them.” The new Chocomania Collection includes four doughnuts dipped, filled, drizzled, or sprinkled with an extra dose (or two) of Hershey’s chocolate. You can sink your teeth into Chocomania doughnuts starting February 19 for a limited time.
Chocolate chip ice cream, once a year-round staple, has fallen out of favor. Vanilla chocolate chip ice cream, once a staple of the ice cream world and one of the top sellers of all time, has fallen out of favor. The flavor can still be found, but it has been losing ground to flavors with more stuff, like cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough. Communications specialist for Babcock Dairy Plant, which has 75 years of ice-cream making under its belt, in Madison, Wis. said that chocolate chip hasn’t been a staple for a decade – “Now it’s seasonal.” Meaning, made for summer only.
Cocoa prices soared to all-time highs last week as deteriorating weather conditions and disease challenges hammered crop yields in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, home to 60% of the world’s production. Cocoa futures have surged nearly 40% since the start of the year to notch an intraday all-time high of $5,874 per metric ton Thursday. Prices of chocolates rose 11% in the past year, according to consumer intelligence database NielsenIQ, using data compiled through Jan. 27.
The first instances of chocolate being consumed go back as far as 4,000 years. Some estimates put this date further back to 5,300 years ago. People native to Mesoamerica harvested chocolate pods from high up in cacao trees growing in the wild. It is thought that the pulp was eaten rather than the seeds. The pulp is sweet, whereas the seeds are incredibly bitter.
Chocolate can fit seamlessly into a healthy and balanced eating pattern, so try incorporating it into these flavorful snacks. Whether you prefer chocolate-covered fruit or a nutty and satisfying energy ball, these tasty bites are everything you need to enjoy chocolate at snacktime. Make recipes like Dark Chocolate Cashew Clusters and Caramel Delight Energy Balls for a pick-me-up that’s choc full of deliciousness. See 21 healthy chocolate snacks that taste like dessert, HERE.
From the the tantalizing cacao blends of South America to the velvety richness of Belgian pralines, chocolate making is a serious work of art. Elevate your Valentine’s Day celebration with one of these 10 finest, most luxurious boxes of chocolates global artisans have to offer. Click, HERE, to see the finest, luxurious chocolates.
Otis Spunkmeyer is looking to help operators make Valentine’s Day extra special by offering the Otis Spunkmeyer Sweet Discovery Double Chocolate Pink Cookie. The deep, dark, double-chocolate cookie dough is studded with both chocolate chips and candy-coated pink chocolate gems for a festive look and rich flavor. Otis Spunkmeyer celebrates Valentine’s Day with Double Chocolate Pink Cookie. Otis Spunkmeyer cookies are simple for operators to bake and sell, and they can also be the foundation for an extra special decorated sweet such as:
Top with strawberry frosting and raspberry preserves for a double-chocolate berry treat
Marshmallow fluff sandwiched between two cookies, rolled in graham cracker crumbs makes “no campfire needed” s’mores
Decorate with vanilla frosting and pink sprinkles for a classic spin on a sweet treat
Otis Spunkmeyer’s 1.33-ounce, frozen cookie dough pucks ensure consistent baking every time, regardless of staff culinary skill level.
How can it be Easter season already when there’s almost a month to go before Valentine’s Day? Welcome to the wacky world of warehouse shopping. Of course Costco’s got its chocolate bunnies out already, and yes, it’s living up to its reputation as being the premier retailer of bizarre buys by offering an enormous one that’s got social media all a twitter — or a TikTok or an Instagram, as the case may be. Commenters are remarking not so much on the size — the bunny is two feet high if it’s an inch — but on the cost of the item. After all, at $63.99, it costs even more than an annual Costco membership. When determining the actual value you’re getting for your money here, the most pertinent factor isn’t the bunny’s height but how heavy it is and the one offered for sale at Costco weighs in at 4.4 pounds. This works out to about 91 cents per ounce of chocolate. Yes, you can find chocolate rabbits for cheaper — one of the least expensive ones we’ve found comes in at around 44 cents per ounce. Despite how goofy the Costco bunny looks, it does appear to be a fairly upscale brand of chocolate as it comes from a Canadian chocolatier called Rochef (with an “f” at the end, so no relation to the Italian brand Ferrero Rocher). Some of the chocolate figurines sold on Rochef’s website retail for over $3.50 per ounce, while even its chocolate bars cost around $1.75 per ounce. Even so, some Instagram commenters seem skeptical about how good the chocolate could be, perhaps because many Easter candies of similar appearance tend to be of poor quality. The rabbit reviewer, however, describes it as “insanely creamy and delicious” and concludes the video by declaring it to be “one of the best chocolates I’ve ever eaten.”
On the heels of legal weed and the growing fervor around microdosing, magic mushroom chocolates have made the leap from dry caps and dank truffles to luxe candy bars and bon bons.
Candy bars have been in existence for a long time—easily more than 150 years! Although certain candy bars come and go, some popular varieties have surprisingly been around since the early days. Here are 24 of the oldest candy bars still available.
One US website has officially found a way to offend all Kiwis at once – claiming Whittaker’s is one of the worst chocolate brands worldwide. Tasting Table officially ranked 25 popular chocolate brands with Whittakers placing 24th, somehow slipping lower than the likes of Lindt, Kinder and Toblerone. (“The only reason Whittaker’s landed lower on the list is due to the shipping price for consumers outside of Australia or New Zealand,” the website states.)
A new study has found that eating dark chocolate can reduce the risk of essential hypertension.
As posted in FoodandWine.com, when Katie Brown was a kid, she was always awestruck when her mom told stories about her young adulthood. Her favorite stories were always related to her mom’s stint as a pastry chef and cake decorator at Dean & Deluca (rest in peace). She came away from that job with a host of baking tips and tricks that she continues to pass on to Katie to this day — the most important being that, when it comes to baking, measurements matter. Since Katie can remember, her mom has baked Katie’s favorite chocolate cake recipe with a set of these dual-sided, magnetic measuring spoons, and now that Katie finally snapped up a set for herself, she finally understands why.
The spoons range from ⅛ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon to accommodate batches of all sizes. They come with a magnetic leveler for measuring dry ingredients with ultimate precision. Since they’re double-sided and balanced, they can even lay flat on the kitchen counter without toppling over or spilling. Each spoon is dual-ended to contain both wet and dry ingredients. The wide, round side is built for measuring liquids without spillage, while the oval side seamlessly reaches into narrow spice jars and other small containers to measure dry ingredients. The magnetic pieces are color-coded and magically nest together, so you’re never stuck rifling through kitchen drawers to find the right measuring spoon. Plus, they come apart easily, meaning you don’t have to spend a ton of time opening and closing a ring to locate the one you need. The spoons include both metric and U.S. customary measurements, so you can make any recipe without having to spend time calculating conversions. Plus, the markings won’t fade away over time: Katie’s mom has had her set for nearly a decade, and they’re still completely legible. Plus, she swears the print is large enough that she doesn’t even need her reading glasses to find the right measuring spoon. These spoons promote accuracy and efficiency in the kitchen for your tastiest treats yet, and you can snag yours for around $11 — just over $1 apiece! Check them out on Amazon.
The case is seeking damages for anyone in Florida who’s bought items including Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins, peanut butter bats, peanut butter footballs, and a Christmas assortment of peanut butter snowmen, stockings, and bells.
These ultra-fudgy dark chocolate brownies have melted dark chocolate, dark cocoa powder and chocolate chunks in them. They are rich and a little goes a long way with these thick and indulgent brownies! While they are sweet, they are not over-powering due to the dark chocolate. They are made in one bowl and couldn’t be easier to whip up when that ultimate chocolate craving hits.
INGREDIENTS:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
8 oz dark chocolate good quality chips or finely chopped bar
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar packed
3 large eggs
⅓ cup (26 grams) cocoa powder ideally Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chunks/chips
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on 2 sides or spray the pan with cooking spray.
Combine butter and chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until completely melted.
Add the brown and white sugar and stir to combine.
Add the eggs and stir until combined.
Add the cocoa powder, flour and salt and stir until almost combined but streaks of flour are still visible. Stir in the chocolate chips/chunks until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the edges are slightly puffed and the middle is set. The toothpick test won’t work for these because of the fudgy texture. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to test the middle of the brownies. You would want a temp around 180-190 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the brownies cool slightly and then refrigerate them for a couple of hours to allow them to solidify and make them easier to cut.
NOTES
These are really rich, fudgy brownies. They could easily be cut into smaller pieces and yield 25 instead of 16 if you cut in a 5 x 5 grid.
Do not cut these straight from the oven. They really need to harden up in the refrigerator before you slice them or at least cool completely at room temperature.
Ingredient highlights:
All the usual suspects go into these brownies but let’s break each one down a bit:
Butter- I use unsalted butter in these brownies so that I can control the amount of salt.
Dark chocolate- I used Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate for these brownies. I’ve tested using both the Ghiradelli baking bar and the Ghiradelli chocolate chips and both work well. The chocolate is melted and folded into the batter and then whole chocolate chips or chocolate chunks are stirred in at the end. You can adjust the percentage you use based on how sweet you want your brownies. Remember, a higher percentage is less sweet than a lower percentage.
Sugars- Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are used in these dark chocolate brownies. Aside from adding obvious sweetness, brown sugar has more moisture in it and leads to a denser brownie which is why I use both.
Eggs- Eggs are a typical ingredient in brownies. I always use large eggs so try to use the same.
Cocoa powder- I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder which is a dutched cocoa powder. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder works fine as well. The special dark cocoa powder amps up that dark chocolate flavor.
Flour- Standard all-purpose flour is used for these brownies.
Salt- I used both kosher salt for the batter and coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top of the finished brownies. For the batter and for all of my baking and cooking, I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. For finishing salt on the tops of the brownies, I use Maldon Sea Salt. The sea salt helps balance the sweetness and richness of the brownies. This is totally optional but really makes the brownies extra special!
Expert tips:
Use the microwave as a shortcut! I melt my butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl large enough for all of the ingredients for 30-second increments until completely melted. It took about 3 and a half increments for mine to melt all the way. Stir after each 30 seconds. If it’s almost completely melted, don’t put it in for the whole 30 seconds as you don’t want to burn it. Using the microwave and a bowl big enough for all the ingredients makes this a one-bowl brownie recipe and super easy with minimal clean up. Of course, you can still use the stove to melt the butter and chocolate if you prefer!
Line your pan with a parchment paper sling so that two sides of the parchment extend beyond the pan. After the brownies have cooled, you just lift them from the pan easily using the parchment. The easiest way to cut these is out of the pan so this makes your job super simple. To keep the long sides of the parchment in place, try using metal binder clips.
Two types of chocolate- For extra rich and fudgy brownies, both cocoa powder and melted bittersweet chocolate is added. As mentioned above, any cocoa powder is fine in this recipe but I like to use Hershey’s Special Dark. Because there is no leavening agent in this recipe, the type of cocoa (natural or dutch-processed) doesn’t matter. If using chocolate bars, to easily chop the chocolate, consider using a serrated knife (or bread knife) to chop it. It’s much easier than a regular knife!
Don’t overbake- One of the main keys to achieving fudgy brownies is not overbaking them. It’s better to underbake these than overbake because as they cool, they will firm up more. Around 30 minutes is the perfect time for my brownies. They should you done on the top, slightly puffed on the edges and should not jiggle when you shake the pan. The toothpick test is a little difficult with these brownies due to how fudgy they are and the chocolate chips/chunks studding the batter.
Measure flour correctly. I’ve provided the gram measurments for the flour so if you have a kitchen scale, use it! Clean-up is even easier as you are not dirtying a bunch of measuring cups. Flour is often over-measured which can lead to dryer baked goods. If you don’t have a scale, then make sure you fluff up the flour in the canister or bag and then lightly spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling off the top.
How to cut the brownies neatly:
Chill the brownies in the fridge for a few hours before cutting into them if you want neat, clean slices. Use a really sharp knife that ideally is as long as the pan of brownies so you can cut in one slice. Cut without sawing through the brownies, making one clean slice down them. It also helps to wipe the knife off after each slice through the brownies.
Substitution and variations:
If you don’t have dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, you can substitute semi-sweet chocolate. I would not substitute milk chocolate in these dark chocolate brownies as they will be far too sweet. You would need to reduce the sugar some if you choose to use milk chocolate.
As said above, a baking bar or good quality chocolate chips can both be used as the melted chocolate. If you prefer to leave out the additional chocolate chips folded into the batter at the end, you can do so but they do add a nice textural element to the rich brownies.
I have not tested this as a gluten-free version, but you could likely swap 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for the all-purpose flour in these.
If you only have salted butter, it’s fine to use but don’t add the extra salt in the recipe.
FAQs
My brownies are under-baked. How can I make sure they are baked?
The easiest way to tell if your brownies are baked enough is to use an instant-read thermometer. They need to be at a minimum of 165 degrees in the middle to be safe to eat. They will still be very gooey at this temp so aim for about 180-190 for that perfect fudgy brownie. You can also try inserting a toothpick but know that you don’t want a clean toothpick to come out of them. They will be over-baked if you reach this point.
Can the brownies be frozen?
Yes, these freeze well. Ideally, freeze them whole and then thaw them overnight on the counter before cutting into them. If you are freezing leftovers, pack them tightly together in a zip-top bag. You can also wrap them in foil first and then put them into a zip-top bag or other container for an extra layer of protection. They will be good for a couple of months like this.
Storage
The brownies are best stored in the refrigerator and will last for a week or so. Make sure they are covered tightly. If you prefer to eat them less cold, pull them out of the refrigerator an hour before you serve them to take the chill off.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1 brownie
Calories: 342kcal
AS POSTED ON TheMarbleKitchen.com by Tara Kringlen.
