“Kitchen Sink” Brownies

“Kitchen Sink” Brownies

Brownies:

4 squares (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into thin pats

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch salt

4 eggs, graded “large”, lightly beaten just to mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts or other nuts, chopped

Topping:

12 to 13 ounces thin milk chocolate bars, broken into sections (the bars must be thin)

A total of 3 cups of any of the following, mixed well in a bowl:

-semisweet chocolate chips OR chunks

-white chocolate chips

-peanut butter chips

-butterscotch chips

-toffee bits

-sweetened, flaked coconut

-chocolate-covered raisins

-medium-fine-chopped candy bars

-miniature, candy-shell-coated chocolate rounds (like M&M’s)

Note: I use 1 cup each of three different choices, because I think it makes the brownies look more interesting.

Line a 13 by 9 by 2 inch pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil (or use a doubled length of regular-weight foil). Set aside. With vegetable shortening, lightly grease the bottom only. Adjust rack to center of oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In heavy-bottomed 2-1/2 to 3 quart pot, combine chopped chocolate and butter. Over VERY LOW heat, melt together, stirring almost constantly, until nearly smooth. Remove from heat; stir until completely smooth and melted. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt, and stir until well-blended (mixture will have the texture of wet sand–OK). Add eggs; with large spoon, beat in just until well-mixed. Stir in flour. When flour is almost incorporated, add chopped nuts; stir in only until evenly distributed.

Turn into prepared pan and spread level, making sure batter isn’t lower in corners or at edges. Bake in preheated oven 19 to 23 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake. While brownies bake, be sure that ingredients for Topping are assembled.

Remove baked brownies to cooling rack. Immediately scatter sections of thin milk chocolate bars on top of brownies as evenly as possible. Cover brownie pan with cookie sheet to retain heat; let stand 3 to 5 minutes. Remove cookie sheet. With back of large spoon, spread melted chocolate as evenly as possible on top of brownies.

When chocolate has been spread, sprinkle on the Topping ingredient(s), again distributing them as evenly over the top as possible. With back of a clean spoon, press Topping ingredient(s) lightly into melted milk chocolate. Cool completely before cutting or serving.

To cut, use large, very sharp, serrated knife. Use a sawing motion to cut through the Topping first, then cut through the rest of the brownie. You may lose a bit of the Topping from some brownies as they’re cut–OK. Store airtight at cool room temperature for up to 2 days.

32 brownies

Source: Stephanie Zonis

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