Chocolate Truffle Brownies
This brownie recipe was a staple back in the day when I had my catering company, Sweet Life Caterers. This was the perfect little petit four that was both beautiful, rich in flavor, creamy and delicious. It is made with high quality chocolate to create a perfect, rich bite. This recipe makes a large batch that fits right into a cookie sheet pan. I like to freeze these brownies before I even serve them. It’s the perfect make-ahead recipe that will stay in the freezer, well wrapped for up to 6 months. Also, I cut them right out of the freezer, creating a neat, clean and professional cut.
Yield: 1 cookie sheet pan, approximately 80 x 2-inch squares
Ingredients:
¾ cup coconut oil
1 pound 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
2 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour (for a Gluten-free version replace with almond flour)
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees (300 convection).
Create a double boiler by taking a small saucepan and filling it with two inches of water. Bring the water up to a simmer over a small flame. Take a large sized metal or glass bowl and set it on top of your saucepan. You want the bowl to be large enough so that the water in the saucepan is not directly touching the bowl. Take your chocolate and coconut oil and put it in the top portion of the double boiler (the medium sized bowl sitting on top of the saucepan). The steam from the simmering water beneath will begin to melt the chocolate and the coconut oil. Stir the mixture every few minutes until it is completely melted. Remove from the heat. (Alternatively you can microwave the chocolate and coconut oil in 30 second increments until fully melted.)
With a whisk, stir in the sugar. The mixture will go from smooth to grainy. Then add the eggs one by one, whisking in between. Add the vanilla, whisk. Add the coffee, salt and flour all at once and mix together just until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the walnuts if using.
Spray a cookie sheet with oil spray and line with parchment paper on top of the oil spray. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating front to back every 10 minutes.
When the brownies are completely cooled in their tray, wrap with plastic wrap. Use multiple layers of plastic wrap to ensure a tight seal. Freeze for a minimum of 24 hour and a maximum of 6 months.
When you are ready to use, remove your tray from the freezer and cut open the plastic wrap. Take a small paring knife and run the knife around the edges to separate the brownies from the wall of the pan. Turn the pan over and flip the brownies onto a clean work surface to begin cutting. Remove the entire layer of parchment paper by peeling it off. Using a large, sharp knife cut two inch wide strips down the width of the brownies- you will get about 10 strips. Then going the other way, begin to cut two inch squares. Whatever you are not using at this time re-wrap onto the sheet tray and return to the freezer for a later date.
Plan Ahead:
I prefer these brownies straight out of the freezer making this the perfect make ahead recipe. They stay beautifully in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If you want to enjoy them on the same day you surely can, but I usually make this recipe during some quiet time when I want to stock up for a later time.
