Denver Brownies

Maida Heatter is a name that you need to know if you like baking. She knows how to work with chocolate- let me tell you. This is another childhood fave from my mom's bakery. It's a little time consuming because there are 3 different layers, but it's a nice alternative to a cake and you can cut them bite-sized to take to a party. It's Maida's recipe but I will credit Cooking By The Book for typing it up.

Yield: 64 tiny brownies or 16 honest ones

Ingredients for the Brownies:

¾ cup shifted all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons water or black coffee
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces at room temperature
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
6 ounces (generous 1 ½ cups) walnuts or pecans cut into medium-size pieces
2 tablespoons bourbon, brandy or rum

Preparation of the Brownies:

Adjust a rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9-inch square cake pan as follows: turn the pan over and cover it with a 12-inch square of aluminum foil, shiny side down. Fold down the sides and the corner of the foil to shape it, remove the foil, the pan right side up, place the foil in the pan, and carefully press it into place. To butter the foil, put a piece of butter in the pan and place it in the oven to melt. Then brush it over the foil. Set the pan aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the honey, water or coffee, butter, and chocolate in a 2- to 3-quart sauce pan over moderate heat. Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove from the heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and whisk vigorously with a wire whisk until smooth. Stir in the nuts.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Make sure to get the corners fully filled with batter.

Bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle just barely comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven and brush the bourbon, brandy or rum over the hot cake.

Cool to tepid in the pan.

Cover the pan with a rack, turn over the pan and the rack, remove the pan and the foil, cover with another rack, and turn over again, leaving the cake right side up. Let stand to cool completely and then transfer to a small board.

Ingredients for the White Icing:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preparation of the White Icing:

In the small bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the vanilla and then gradually add the sugar, beating well until soft and fluffy.

Spread the white icing over the top of the cake. With a long narrow metal spatula, smooth top.

Refrigerate.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Icing [Ganache]:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation for the Chocolate Icing [Ganache]:

Place the chocolate, shortening, and butter in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted. Then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.

Pour in a thick ribbon all over the white icing, working quickly before the chilled white icing sets the chocolate. With a long narrow metal spatula, smooth the top.

Refrigerate.

To cut, the chocolate might be so firm that it cracks while you cut it. Either let it stand at room temperature briefly or score the cutting lines gently and carefully with a long serrated knife, and then cut through with a long, thin, knife cutting straight down, not back and forth. First trim the edges slightly, then cut the cake into eight 1-inch strips. With a small, sharp paring knife, cut each strip into 1-inch squares.

Place the brownies inn a single layer in a shallow covered box, or place them on a tray. Be sure the chocolate is firm and cover with plastic wrap.

These cookies are fragile and cannot be shipped or mailed.