Gingery Macadamia Truffle Brownies Recipe

Gingery Macadamia Truffle Brownies

from Michael McLaughlin's Good Mornings

Ingredients:

Room-temperature unsalted butter for the baking pan, plus 12 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see Note)
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

Makes 16

This and many other wonderful
recipes may be found in
Michael McLaughlin's
Good Mornings
from Chronicle Books

If the spirit of brunch is one of comfortable hedonism, few desserts are more appropriate than brownies. These extremely moist, ginger-spiked brownies make a fine accompaniment to festive fruit such as long-stemmed strawberries, but they're good plain, too, with nothing more than a cup of strong coffee. Note that the brownies must be chilled before cutting; it's best to bake them one day in advance of serving.

The Night Before:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-8inch metal baking pan (if using glass, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees).

In the top pan of a double boiler, combine the buffer, chocolate, and coffee powder. Place over hot water and cook, stirring, just until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour and stir until almost combined. Add the nuts and ginger and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until the edges look done but the center remains moist and unset, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate. (The brownies must be chilled for at least 5 hours before proceeding.)

In the Morning:
Turn out the uncut brownies onto a work surface.With a long, sharp knife, trim away about inch of the dry edge. Cut the remaining brownie square into 16 equal pieces. Let the brownies come to room temperature before serving.

Note: To measure the flour, stir it in the canister with a fork to lighten, then spoon it into a dry-measure cup and sweep level.