Really, Really Good Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing

I rarely crave chocolate. Not my thing. But about a week ago I got this yen for brownies. You know, rich, fudgy, dense, intensely chocolate. So I dug around for this old recipe of mine, and rediscovered it had whiskey poured over it. Whoa, I forgot about that part.  But even better.

So I went to the market and bought some white chocolate chips, in preparation. I already had a huge bag of dark chocolate chips and the block of Callebaut semi sweet chocolate. I was ready to rock.

I made the brownies and let them cool. Then, in the first of a series of domino falling events, I cut about a half-inch strip of brownie off one end, to see if they tasted as good as I remembered. They were outstanding, so I covered the pan with aluminum foil and left it sitting on the kitchen counter.

The next day I was all psyched to pour whiskey over the brownies and ice them with white and dark chocolate. I had left the package of white chocolate chips on the counter near the brownies and when I picked them up, I discovered that a family member had opened the package and eaten about half of them. It was a small package, so not many were left. I opened my cupboard to get the dark chocolate chips and discovered they were nowhere in site. Well, I was getting sorta ticked off by this time, so I stalked into a family member’s bedroom and found a big bowl of dark chocolate chips next to their computer. A lovely midnight snack, I’m sure.

I retrieved the chips and huffily returned to the kitchen. That was when I realized that the aluminum foil covering the brownies was all crinkled, like it had been opened and closed fifty times. I slowly lifted the foil. OMG! They were half gone!  And not by nice neat squares cut with a knife. Oh no… It looked like the family member had used a fork, or maybe even a spoon!

So I confronted the suspected family member and asked if they had eaten the brownies. “Oh ya,  there was already some gone, so I figured it was ok to eat them.” So I took a deep breath, turned and trudged back to the kitchen. There was nothing I could do. The project was decimated.

So I am going to have to ask you to use your imagination. Pretend you take a toothpick and poke several holes all over the brownies, then pour a couple of tablespoons of bourbon over the top. Heck, use a fourth of a cup if you want. Might as well.

Then melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Ice the brownies, smoothing with an offset spatula, and chill them until the icing is firm. Then melt the dark chocolate chips and smooth it over the white icing. Chill until set. Cut into squares to serve.

Ok, my kid ate the chocolate chips, my husband ate the brownies and I drank the bourbon.  That’s just the way it goes sometimes.

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Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing

Yield: 16 brownies

Cooking spray

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped medium (I used Callebaut)
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Optional:
2 tablespoons to ¼ cup bourbon whiskey
1 cup white chocolate chips -or- make White Butter Frosting (recipe below)
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Make a parchment liner for an 8-inch baking pan that covers the bottom and up two sides with a 2-inch overhang, which will be used as handles to remove brownies from pan. Spray bottom of pan, and then parchment with cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

4. Place a large stainless steel bowl over a sauce pan with about an inch of simmering water. Melt the chocolates and butter in the bowl, stirring occasionally with a whisk.

5. Remove chocolate and let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until each is thoroughly mixed in before adding another. Stir in flour mixture until glossy and smooth.

6. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs.

7. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Using the handles, remove brownies from pan and cool completely, about 3 hours. At this point you can cut into squares and eat.

8. If you want to do the full monty, using the handles, return the brownies to the pan. Using a toothpick, poke the brownies in several places all over. Douse with the bourbon. Let sit for about a half an hour.

9. Melt white chips in the microwave or in double boiler. Or make White Butter Frosting. Ice brownies and smooth with a small offset spatula. Chill until icing is set.

10. Melt dark chocolate chips and smooth over white icing. Chill until set. Remove brownies from pan with handles and cut into squares. Eat.

White Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Beat in vanilla.

Note: Plain or frosted brownies can be held at room temperature, covered, for three days. If they last that long. Or keep chilled for up to one week.

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