Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

Great news, my croissants turned out wonderful yesterday! I'm very happy with the results, I can't wait to post my crumb-cut shots to show everyone the interiors. I'm still going to do a 4th batch of laminated dough tomorrow because I want to try something a little different with the yeast before I do the final write up.

Bad news, the little Humble is feeling under the weather so I am not going to post the napoleons today. The write up for that recipe is going to be rather lengthy and I'm not sure I can spare that much time at the computer. So I've decided to post the quickest of dishes I have lined up: Mascarpone Brownies.

Oh and more bad news (for me), my brand new ice cream maker broke last night. The first time I used it! The moment I turned it on the inner paddle snapped. I am quite annoyed.

Though it was probably my fault. I added my ice cream mixture to the frozen bowl, turned on the machine and realized it wasn't plugged in. Then I fiddled with getting the cable out of the machine's underbelly, removing the manufacturer's plastic and zip tie, plugged it in and turned it on. This took about a minute or two and in that brief time the cream mixture froze to the sides of the bowl, creating a dense mass that snapped my paddle like a twig.

I really hate flimsy plastic components. I'm going to have Mr. Humble bring home another machine today, as I am craving a homemade batch of coconut ice cream with lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves.



So these mascarpone brownies. They're a little different but quite good. Mr. Humble gave them his stamp of approval and he is big brownie fanatic. They differ from a typical brownie in that they have a fine crumb and a lighter, almost cake like texture. They are still very moist and extremely fudgy, so they're worthy of being called a brownie.

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies
adapted from recipezaar.com
1 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (extra-dark, dutch processed cocoa is best)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
3 large eggs, at room-temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F and prepare a 8-9" square pan with a little nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Once melted add the chocolate to the sauce pan and pull off the heat. Give the pan a little jiggle to submerge the chocolate and then allow to stand for a minute then stir until smooth.

Sift the cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture and then add the sugar and salt, mix well and set aside.

In your stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Pour the butter and chocolate mixture into the mixing bowl and mix until no streaks remain.

Remove the bowl from your mixer and gently fold the flour into the batter. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake the brownies for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Once cool you can top with the chocolate ganache.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place chopped chocolate into a heat safe bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute then stir until smooth.

Once smooth, add the butter one tablespoon at a time stirring until completely melted.

Run a knife around the outside of the brownies to release from the pan then invert onto a cutting board or serving platter. Remove the parchment and pour the ganache onto the brownies, spreading evenly with a spatula.

Allow the ganache to set up before cutting (this will take a few hours at room temperature, you can speed this along by popping them into the fridge) and enjoy.