Sour Cream Brownies by Lisa Yockelson

Sour Cream Brownies - made January 25, 2024 from Brownies & Blondies by Lisa Yockelson

3/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

2 extra large eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon chocolate extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Toss 1 teaspoon of the mixture with the mini chocolate chips; set aside.
3. In the top of a double boiler set over hot water, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate, whisking until completely melted and combined. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Add sugar to melted chocolate mixture, whisking to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition to combine. Add sour cream, chocolate extract and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
5. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing into an even layer.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

I went back to the queen of brownie recipes for this one. I'm making my usual sporadic effort to use recipes from baking books I have, all nicely gathering dust on my bookshelves.

Fortunately, brownies are a staple in almost every care package I send to deployed military service members for Soldiers Angels so I can try as many brownie recipes I want and have something that ships well and is appreciated at their destination.

This one had a softer bite than my go-to brownie recipe and wasn't an intensely chocolatey but was still good and easy to make, two requirements for brownie bakes. I didn't have enough mini chocolate chips so I went with regular-sized ones. But, given the softer texture of the brownie, the large chips were a little jarring. At least to me as I prefer a straightforward fudgy texture with no chip interference. 

Still, these were good and if you've got a little sour cream to use up, this is a solid recipe to make. You can't taste the tanginess of the sour cream given the chocolate but the sour cream adds to the softer texture.