Recipe: Greenwich Village Brownies

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-07-06
From: recipelink.com

Greenwich Village Brownies
Source: Susan Plass
From: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies

Makes 32 bars
These are a specialty of a New York City pastry shop. It is a recipe with a large yield. The Brownies are moist, fudgy, and extra-chewy -- almost like chocolate caramels.

2 cups unsifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 oz. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
6 eggs
3 cups pecans or walnuts

Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15 1/2x10 1/2x1-inch jelly roll pan. Line it with a large piece of wax paper, butter the paper, and dust it lightly all over with flour. Invert the pan to shake out excess flour (I use parchment sprayed with Pam and skip the flour).

Measure the flour before sifting, then sift it together with the salt and set aside. Melt the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir until smooth, remove the top of the double boiler, and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the vanilla and the granulated and brown sugars. Beat to mix well. Add the corn syrup and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate. On low speed, gradually add the flour, beating until smoothly mixed. Stir in 2 cups of the nuts.

Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and spread to make a smooth layer (the pan will be filled to the top). Sprinkle the remaining cup of nuts over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean but not dry.

Cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then cover with a large rack or cookie sheet and invert. Remove the pan and the paper. Cover with a large rack and invert again, leaving the cake right side up to cool completely.

The cake is easier to cut if it is chilled first (but tastes wonderful still a little warm!); place it in the freezer or refrigerator until it is quite firm. Or cover the cake with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and let it stand overnight at room temperature. Slide the cake onto a cutting board - a really tough trick unless it's frozen. Use a long, thin, sharp knife or a finely serrated one to cut it into bars.