I am always on the lookout for the BEST recipe. I have loved both of these recipes and decided to have a bake off to see side by side which brownie recipe would be the best one. I also had a recipe for brownie bread pudding that used left over brownies..we never have "left over" brownies. So I thought this would be a way to create mass amounts and guarantee that I have left overs.
Side by side with the same mixing methods.
Same method of folding in the dry ingredients.
Both smelling amazing at this point.
Now, the kitchen is a brownie heaven. And the winner is: Baked! (recipe) Hands down a better brownie because it was about the chocolate flavor. The other was more about sugar sweetness. Luckily we have left overs!! On to our brownie bread pudding.
The first direction is to crumble day old brownies into a shallow bowl. When I first read that I laughed because we never have day old brownies!!
Soak in a custard before baking.
This was awesome! What a fun change in dessert. I halved the recipe and used an 8 x 8 pan. YUM.
Day old 8 x 8 pan of brownies
5 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 tea vanilla extract
Crumble day old brownies and let sit out over night to dry out. If stale already skip this step. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 7 X 11 pan and spread crumbled brownies evenly over bottom. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the sugar until blended. Mix in the half and half and vanilla. Pour over the brownies, cover with foil and let stand for 20 minutes.
Bake the foil covered brownies for 1 hour, until custard is set. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. Cut the pudding into 8 pieces and serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce and ice cream if wanted. I used whipped cream also.
I used 3 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 1/4 cup half and half, and 3/4 tea vanilla and 8x 8 pan
Drunken Caramel Sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tb unsalted butter
1 small cinnamon stick
1 inch vanilla bean, split
1 cup sugar
2 Tb light corn syrup
1/4 cup whiskey, bourbon, or rum
In small sauce pan combine cream, butter, and cinnamon stick. scrap e the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan using the tip of a knife and toss in the pod. Set over low heat to warm the cream, melt the butter, and infuse the flavors, 5 minutes.
In separate deep saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med low heat, stirring to milt the sugar. Using a moist brush, wash any sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Continue to boil without stirring until the sugar syrup begins to color. Once it turns golden, gently swirl the pan and watch it closely. As soon as the caramel turns an even amber shade. Remove from the heat.
Pour a few Tb of the warm cream into the caramel; the mixture will boil up furiously. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in remaining cream. Continue to whisk until all the caramel is dissolved. Stir in rum, remove vanilla pod, and let the sauce cool to room temp before serving.
THE CHALLENGERS:
"Desserts for the Famous Loveless Cafe" in Nashville:
Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies
vs.
"Baked (New Frontiers in Baking)" in New York:
Brownie Bread Pudding
5 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 tea vanilla extract
Crumble day old brownies and let sit out over night to dry out. If stale already skip this step. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 7 X 11 pan and spread crumbled brownies evenly over bottom. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the sugar until blended. Mix in the half and half and vanilla. Pour over the brownies, cover with foil and let stand for 20 minutes.
Bake the foil covered brownies for 1 hour, until custard is set. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. Cut the pudding into 8 pieces and serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce and ice cream if wanted. I used whipped cream also.
I used 3 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 1/4 cup half and half, and 3/4 tea vanilla and 8x 8 pan
Drunken Caramel Sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tb unsalted butter
1 small cinnamon stick
1 inch vanilla bean, split
1 cup sugar
2 Tb light corn syrup
1/4 cup whiskey, bourbon, or rum
In small sauce pan combine cream, butter, and cinnamon stick. scrap e the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan using the tip of a knife and toss in the pod. Set over low heat to warm the cream, melt the butter, and infuse the flavors, 5 minutes.
In separate deep saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med low heat, stirring to milt the sugar. Using a moist brush, wash any sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Continue to boil without stirring until the sugar syrup begins to color. Once it turns golden, gently swirl the pan and watch it closely. As soon as the caramel turns an even amber shade. Remove from the heat.
Pour a few Tb of the warm cream into the caramel; the mixture will boil up furiously. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in remaining cream. Continue to whisk until all the caramel is dissolved. Stir in rum, remove vanilla pod, and let the sauce cool to room temp before serving.
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