Fudge Brownies with White Chocolate and Toffee

Fudge Brownies with White Chocolate and Toffee - October 19, 2009

The original recipe name is Fudge Brownies with White Chocolate, Toffee and Pecans but since I don't add nuts to brownie batter (most of the time), I'm taking the liberty of changing the name. This recipe is from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and its ingredients are more traditional than the last brownie recipe I tried from this book so I had high hopes for this one. It didn't disappoint.

You’ve heard me say before that I normally like to make a recipe as is to see how the author(s) intended for it to turn out then I make my own tweaks afterwards. With this recipe, I decided to tweak it a bit in the first trial. Nothing material to really change the actual brownie but more to make it more accommodating to my preferences. First, since it called for another 12 x 18” pan, meaning lots and lots of brownies, I cut the recipe in half and used an 8” square baking pan. If I was going to work tomorrow, I would’ve baked the full recipe and given the brownies away but since I’m on vacation and already have 2 other batches of brownies to take on my trip to Boston to my friends, I decided I didn’t need that many brownies.

It actually worked out pretty well though to cut the recipe in half and use an 8” baking pan since the brownies came out to just the right thickness. I also omitted the nuts (you know why). When the brownies were done, I sprinkled chopped up chunks of white chocolate on top, returned the pan to the hot oven for a few minutes until the white chocolate had softened then I spread them as a layer on top of the brownie. While the white chocolate was still soft, I sprinkled the toffee bits on top so they would adhere when the brownie cooled. Once the white chocolate sets, it should be more firm than frosting and provide a nice contrast to the dark fudginess of the brownie. I have to confess I didn’t/couldn’t wait for the white chocolate to set and just had a piece while the brownie was still warm and the white chocolate was still melt-y. YUM.

Brownie
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
12 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Topping
¾ cup toffee pieces
¾ cup chopped pecans
1 ½ cups white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a 12 x 18-inch jelly roll pan.
3. To make the brownie: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and mix in the sugar, the eggs, and the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the toffee and the pecans evenly over the batter. Bake 25-28 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of pan comes out with moist crumbs attached. Do not overbake.
5. Let cool for 20 minutes, then sprinkle the white chocolate chunks over the brownies.
6. Allow to cool to room temperature, or overnight, before cutting and serving.