This recipe, originally posted at the Holy Taco Church, adds a kick to regular ol’ brownies.
If you’ve browsed the candy aisles of late, you noticed that gourmet chocolate bars are all the rage. Take advantage of this when it comes to baked goods. Flavored chocolate adds an extra level of nuance to brownies and cookies.
For these Chili Spice Chocolate Brownies, I chopped up a combo of Green & Black Spiced Chili Chocolate and World Market’s Dark Chocolate Chipotle, but any type of amped-up chocolate will work here.
Note that I can’t handle really hot stuff–hello, burning skin and inability to breathe and feeling like a taun-taun kicked me in the intestines–but these brownies aren’t spicy in THAT way. There’s an occasional zing of chili here and there, but the main flavor is of the cinnamon and the milder chocolate.
Modified from Cinnamon-Spiced Chocolate Brownies at King Arthur Flour.
Bready or Not: Chili Spice Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter two sticks, melted
- 2 1/4 cups white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups baking cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 bars spiced chocolate bars 3 ounces, such as chipotle or chili, chopped
- 6 ounces milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet
[toggle the chocolates to be more or less spicy based on your tastes, but equal 12 ounces total]
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and grease the surface.
- In a medium-sized saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar. Stir to combine. Heat the mixture briefly, just until it's hot throughout; it'll become shiny as you stir it. Set on a cool burner or trivet.
- Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth. Add the flour, again stirring until smooth. Fold in the chopped spicy chocolate and mild chocolate.
- Spoon the batter into the pan, spreading it to the edges. It will be extremely thick and lava-like.
- Bake the brownies for 34 to 36 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and just barely set in the center.
- Remove from the oven. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting.
- OM NOM NOM!
