Sour Cream Brownies

I am pretty picky about my brownies. Brownies should be rich, dense, and full of chocolate flavor. Chocoholics should swoon at the taste of a tiny corner of the good brownie and then do a happy dance as they finish eating the delectable goodness of a brownie. Brownies should never be cakey, and they should not need frosting or any other embellishment to make them perfect.

These brownies do not meet my criteria for a good brownie. The texture of these is actually pretty strange -- they look like cakey brownies, but when you bite into them the texture is like soft fudge that has been whipped. The flavor is okay, but it's just not enough chocolate for me -- and I used Ghiradelli 70% bittersweet chocolate so it really should have been enough chocolate.

I got the recipe out of my Nick Malgieri book -- clearly my favorite book at this time -- and it has been the biggest disappointment so far. And it's not like these are bad brownies or anything -- they just don't fit my (admittedly very strict) criteria for a good brownie.



Ingredients:
6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsps vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, then spray the foil with baking spray.

Put the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt, stirring 2 or 3 times, then allow it to bubble for about 10 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Gently shake the pan to submerge the chocolate in the hot butter and set aside for a few minutes so that the chocolate melts. Use a small whisk to mix until smooth.

Place the brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in one egg on the lowest speed using the paddle attachment. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla and beat smooth.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to mix in the chocolate/butter. Mix in the flour, followed by 1 1/2 cups of walnuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining walnuts on the batter.

Bake the brownies until they are firm, but still very moist in the center, about 30 minutes.

Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.

Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate the brownies for several hours or overnight before attempting to cut them -- they are very moist.