Edge Pieces

In our family, brownies reign supreme in the Baked Treats World (pecan rolls are a close second!).  Our favorite recipe is the "On the Fence" brownie from the King Arthur Flour Co. Cookie Companion cookbook.  A shiny, almost flaky top.  Deep, dark chocolate-y color (that almost looks like rich, compost-y soil).  Thick and fudge-y in the center . . . with chewy, satisfying edges.  

Over the years, I've perfected this brownie.  I special-order dutch-process cocoa and vanilla.  I melt the sugar into the butter.  I mix them by hand.  I add chocolate chips to the batter. . . right at the end. 

But it's those edges -- those chewy, perfectly-baked edges -- that really "make" the brownie!  For years, Tom and the kids would eat the brownies out of the pan . . . edges first!  They would argue over who would get the corner pieces (TWO edges!), and then they would leave the the inner pieces for last.  It's not that they didn't like the inner pieces. . . it's just that they LOVED the edges best.

Tom solved this problem once-and-for-all a couple of years ago by giving me this Christmas gift --- a brownie pan specially designed so that EACH PIECE is an EDGE PIECE! 

I made brownies this weekend, and I started thinking about them.  Brownies.  Edges.  Life. 

All parts of the brownie are good.  But it's the edges that give substance; definition; flavor.  Chewiness. Find the edges.  Create more edges.  Eat from the edge of the pan.

Comments

[margene]

Now that's a smart brownie pan!!

[Cookie]

That is so cool!

[Sue]

What a great pan! Caitlin made brownies yesterday before she went back to Uni. She likes the Nigella recipe from Nigella Bites. I got one only, slightly warm, with vanilla ice cream and blueberries before they were packaged up and whisked away.

Do you put espreso coffee in yours? Nigel doesn't but some recipes swear by it.

[Kay]

REALLY? For some reason, I go for the center pieces, because they are usually the moistest and gooiest! OH YUMMMMMMMM! ~Jan

[Nancy]

I'm sorry I read this blog! There's nothing sweet in the house, but we do have all the fixins for brownies, but I just had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, so...!

[Erin Mulhern]

Erin. Miss. Food. Dorm food. No good. :(