One of my favorite subjects came up on Epicurious the other day. Joanne Camas from the Epi Log mentioned she was obsessed with brownies and listed 10 Best Brownie Recipes based on fork reviews. I’ve tried quite a few on the list, the most recent being the Browned Butter Walnut Brownies, but the recipe that really got my attention was Milk Chocolate Brownies.
If you bake a brownie with milk chocolate, can you really even taste the milk chocolate???
The answer is yes! Boy, was I ever surprised. I figured the brownies would just have a lighter chocolate flavor and be sweet. Well, they are kind of sweet (but not overly so) and the milk chocolate flavor really does come through. Because I found some in my pantry, I used Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. And because I didn't have enough chocolate to make a full 8 oz, I halved the recipe and baked it in a standard 9x5 inch loaf pan.
That worked perfectly (once I'd trimmed the edges, of course) and gave me just enough brownies to share and move on.
Also, while I originally thought this would be a great way to use excess milk chocolate Easter candy, I'm going to have to change my stance and say the brownies are worthy of premium milk chocolate.
Milk Chocolate Brownies
1 stick (114 grams)unsalted butter
8 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (165 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
¾ cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan or if halving the recipe, use a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Melt butter and half of chocolate in a 1 ½-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth or in a microwave-safe mixing bowl -- especially if you're making a half batch. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, whisking or beating lightly with a spoon, until mixture is glossy and smooth.
Whisk together remaining ingredients, then stir into chocolate mixture. Make sure the batter isn't too warm, then stir in remaining chocolate (you want it to stay in chunks). Spread batter in pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs adhering, 25 to 30 minutes. A loaf pan takes 25 minutes.
Anna says
Hi Tiff,
That has happened to me with other recipes. Usually it's because I beat the batter too much or used a little too much flour. If you try the recipe again, I recommend beating the eggs lightly with a spoon or just mixing them rather than beating them with an electric mixer. I'm not sure how much you beat the eggs, but I know that when it happened to me, I was using a handheld electric mixer. I'm going to add a note that says to use a whisk or beat lightly with a spoon.
tiff:) says
i have made these brownies but somthing isnt right there more like cake and not brownies i thaught if once theve cooled down i put them in the fridge they might turn more brownie like so im gonna give it a try. but if this has happened to sombody else and they no why can you please reply to tell me and hopefully next time i make them theyle be better thankyou !:):)
Anna says
Adam, it's for the chocolate. I always use weights for chocolate. Sometimes I put ounces, sometimes I put grams. I swing back and forth.
Adam says
Pardon my ignorance, ounces always confuse me :), is the 8 ounces milk chocolate volume or weight? I would assume weight, but I've been wrong before :).
Paula B. says
I will try any brownie recipe that sounds tempting, it is so like chocolate chip cookie baking, so many varieties, any slight change and what a different result you get. Always have loved milk chocolate, definitely will be making these for a party on Sunday. Thanks, and keep experimenting with the brownies...
Adam says
Although I haven't had a cadbury cream egg since I was a kid (I never liked them, but kind of want to try them again), the mini eggs are the absolute best. The only thing that can drag me away from eating an entire bag are some M&M's Peanuts :).
Ryan says
Yummmmm!! These look sooo good! I've been on a brownie kick recently, I'll definitely try them 🙂
Katrina says
Gloria--I was thinking the other day about playing around with those brownies with the banana. Still want to. Oh, there's just so many things to do (bake)! 😉
Gloria says
I have become a milk chocolate fan over the last few years...it seems to be less acidic than the darker chocolate. I'll bet these brownies are excellent! Hmmm... could they stand up to some banana? ;^)
Anna says
Katrina, these brownies will surprise you.
Sue, I hope you try them. They were really easy to whip up.
Adam, thanks for correcting the metric. I put in the gram measurements for the full cup rather than 3/4. One reason I stopped adding gram measurements was because it was just another place for me to make typos, but I get emails from people requesting gram weights so I'm trying to put them in.
Dawn, I agree. I never eat the filled eggs -- just the mini candy coated eggs and the bars.
vanillasugarblog says
you know that cadbury milk chocolate is really good tasting. it's one of the ones i love to use too when i really want that "authentic" milk taste. it's also one of the reasons i love those cadbury eggs so much, minus the filling. i would love to re-do their caramel egg; they have the chocolate down pat, just need to work on the caramel. it's too corn-syrupy, needs more of a milky taste with a hint of salt.
i am going to print this brownie recipe--can't wait.
Adam says
I love milk chocolate. If I'm just eating chocolate I'd rather have it than any other. A milk chocolate brownie sounds too good :), I have this idea of a creamy smooth brownie in my head :).
Just a quick question, should 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar not be about 165g given a standard 220g cup?
Sue says
Thanks for posting the weights and volume measurements. 🙂
No doubt these would be loved at our house. And now I have to go check out that list!
Katrina says
I'll have to try those just for my kids, they THINK they don't like dark chocolate and ask about everything I bake--which IS usually dark chocolate. I'll have to treat them to these sometime--I'll have to actually get some milk chocolate because I don't even really keep it in stock anymore.