My wonderful sister recommended I try the Cooks Illustrated cream cheese brownies for this week's baking challenge. The recipe, in classic CI fashion, is a bit complex but it wasn't the most painful I've ever tried to follow. Below is the double boiler where I melted bakers chocolate and 90% cacao dark chocolate with just a tiny bit of milk chocolate (a deviation from the CI recipe due to what I had in the cupboard).
After mixing up the brownie base, I put half into the 13x9 pan and then dolloped the cream cheese mixture around before layering the rest of the brownie mix on top; then another bunch of dollops of the cream cheese mixture to top it off.
I think I swirled a bit too much on top, but the parchment paper lining made it so easy to take out of the pan after baking (which never happens with brownies!).
I know I'm supposed to wait and let it cool and everything, but I just couldn't.
The consistency of these brownies is so perfect. Nice and moist, sorta thick and dense, but also crumby and .. oh man. Just perfect. Everyone at my work (and Andrew's) is going to be so happy tomorrow.
Ok I love cooks illustrated. Have you tried their blueberry scones? OH MY GOD. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteOoohh I will! I can't imagine scones won't fit in to some challenge over the next 51 weeks. Andrew and I were talking about maybe making mini scones for the mini challenge next week, so maybe sooner rather than later?!
ReplyDeleteYeah! I'm so proud of you! They came out perfectly, I can tell. Aren't they the best brownies you have ever had? For me, they are the best. I love the parchment paper technique since it means you don't lose any single bit to the edges of the pan. I usually use foil actually. I also love that these brownies never get dried out at the edges. A keeper. Like you!
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