Anyone want Brownies?

Hello again, everyone.  So, I made Colleen's Slow Cooker Jambalaya this week, intending to blog about it.  However, while it was a good recipe, I wasn't totally blown away, and hubby wasn't a fan.  Probably, I realized, because I'm not sure if we even like Jambalaya.  Go figure.

SO instead, I thought I'd share a brownie recipe that I found in my year off from blogging.  This is embarrassing, but at some point last year, I realized that I had never made GOOD brownies from scratch.  It just seemed easier to make them from a box, so that's usually what I did.  Or I made something else entirely (like cake).

This recipe is especially great, because since starting law school, I've made lots of new friends who like to eat.  The only problem?  Food allergies like you wouldn't believe!  These are great because they are peanut-free, and I can make them dairy-free by subbing margarine for the butter, and gluten-free by using rice flour in place of regular flour.  Like I said, lots of allergies.  Anyway, I was jonesing for some chocolate this evening, so I whipped up a batch of these:

Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies, courtesy of Foodnetwork.com.  (Because who else would I turn to for recipes?)  Here's the thing though, you shouldn't actually rely on the recipe that Food Network has posted.  They change the instructions a little bit from what AB himself does.  Now, their method might work just fine, but personally... I'm with Alton all the way.  SO, here are the ingredients:

Parchment paper (to line the pan)
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 ounces melted butter
2 tsp vanilla

And, to demonstrate how this works, I give you AB himself:

Note: Due to technical difficulties, the video that should be here isn't.  So follow this LINK to watch Alton Brown's demo.  DO IT NOW!

Or, here's the basics:
First, preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper.  Then, beat all the eggs together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until they are emulsified.  While they are beating, sift together all the dry ingredients (both sugars, cocoa, flour, and salt), and slowly add to the eggs with the mixer running on its lowest speed.  Once it is incorporated and there's not any dry spots remaining, add the vanilla.  Lastly, SLOWLY pour in the melted butter until it is completely mixed, about a minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix a few seconds more.  Scoop the batter into the pan, spread into an even layer, and bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Here are the only changes I would make to AB's method:

1) I use a 9x13 pan.  The brownies are a bit thinner, but there's more of them.  Personal preference.  Do whichever you like.
2) As I mentioned, these can be made dairy-free by using margarine rather than butter.  Be sure to use stick margarine that is at least 70% vegetable oil, rather than anything that comes in a tub.
3) If you need to go gluten-free, you can substitute white rice flour for regular old all purpose.  I think the reason this substitution works as easily as it does is because there's only 1/2 cup to begin with.

The texture IS a little bit different if you use both margarine and rice flour, but not so different that you would notice unless someone told you, "Hey, these are gluten-free!"  I made these this way for a party with some friends, and it was great because EVERYONE could eat them.  And everyone loved them.  WIN!

So, the next time you're in the mood for brownies, skip the box and try these.  They are my FAVORITE!  And I'm going to need them, to get through the next week.  I have an oral argument on that appellate brief I was talking about on Tuesday.  The two pretty much make up my whole grade for that class.  Hence the chocolate.  Have a good week, everyone, and enjoy!