Once in a while my aunt goes on a trip to Peru and when she does, I’m lucky enough that she will bring some 100% dark chocolate home for me. When the chocolate has traveled this far, it needs to be used for something special and that is this brownie. My absolute favorite cake.
Because the chocolate is so intense, you don’t need to use very much of it, so there is enough for several cakes or desserts if you do the math correctly.
100% DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH SALTED CARAMEL, BROWN BUTTER AND HAZELNUTS
APROX. 16 – 20 PIECES.
100 G HAZELNUTS
120 G BUTTER
60 G 100% DARK CHOCOLATE
100 G SUGAR
100 G MOLASSES SUGAR
2 M/L EGGS
1 TSP VANILLA SUGAR
1-2 TSP STRONG COFFEE POWDER
65 G FLOUR
1/4 TSP SALT
50 G CHOPPED DARK CHOCOLATE MIN. 70%
SALTED CARAMEL TO TASTE
Roast the nuts in a dry pan over medium-high heat until the nutty scent begins til waft in the air and the nuts take on colour. Pour them out onto a clean tea towel. Let them cool slightly before rubbing off the skins with the tea towel.
Then chop them roughly, but leave some of the nuts whole.
Line a 20×20 cm baking dish with baking paper, leaving a littleto hang over the edge, and butter it thoroughly.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
Melt the butter in a pan over high heat. Let it sizzle and bubble, shaking the pan occasionally. When the bubbles take on the color and texture of fine cappuccino foam and smell nutty, remove the pan from the heat.
Melt chocolate, stir it together with the butter and coffee powder to a shiny mixture.
Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy, this takes about 4 min.
Add the chocolate and whisk well.
Sift the flour and salt into the batter and fold it in with a rubber spatula.
Finally add the chopped chocolate.
Put the batter into the prepared tin, spread dollops or stripes of the caramel on top, and half the coarsely chopped hazelnuts.
Bake the brownie for 30-35 min. until it has just set in the middle, meaning it is no longer jiggly. A toothpick should come out with a little batter when inserted into the center.
Spread more caramel, nuts and a sprinkle of flaked salt on top.
