Chocolate Smorgasbord Brownies for
World Chocolate Day ◦ July 7, 2022
By: Brianna MacLean, Cub Brand Ambassador
“Money can’t buy happiness.
But it can buy a chocolate, which is pretty much the same thing.”
Hanako Ishii
On July 7, 1550, history was made; After a long journey across the ocean, chocolate was formally introduced to the European masses and quickly took its rightful place as the ruler of bonbons.
Four hundred fifty-nine years later, on July 7, 2009, history was made once more with the official establishment of World Chocolate Day, a day set aside for the world to come together and celebrate this delicious confection that makes all of our lives a little sweeter.
Whether enjoyed as a key component of a dessert, as a drink or even just on its own, chocolate has truly established itself as an MVP of comforting indulgence that never lets us down. Even on our worst days, the days where it feels like we have reached a point lower than rock bottom, chocolate acts as the lighthouse in a storm, safely guiding us to the docks of peace, joy, and deliciousness.
If you’re anything like me, then one of your primary love languages is creating truly scrumptious food for the people in your life. So join me in the kitchen, and let’s show our love and appreciation for friends, family, and chocolate with these decadent brownies!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup & 1 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 1 & 1/4 cups of dark chocolate
- 1 cup of brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup of sifted flour
- 1/4 cup of sifted cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp of salt
- 3 regular-sized chocolate bars
- OPTIONAL: 1 cup of roughly chopped nuts
Instructions:
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F/180°C and grease up an 8” baking vessel with butter or oil till shiny.
- Using either a double boiler or a microwave, melt the butter and the dark chocolate together and combine until silky smooth, and leave to cool for a few minutes.
- While your wet mixture cools, combine your dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, and salt) in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract to our cooled-down but decadent butter and chocolate concoction and mix until JUST combined.
- Give your eggs a light scramble in another bowl, then add to the sugary/buttery/chocolatey mixture and combine well.
- Formally introduce your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Roughly chop up your 3 chocolate bars (I went with 1 milk chocolate, 1 dark chocolate, and 1 white chocolate for a true chocolate smorgasbord experience) and add to the batter.
- This is also the point where you can add the chopped nuts of choice if that is what calls to your heart.
- Pour your truly tempting brownie batter into your prepared pan, and bake for:
- 23-25 minutes for a SUPER gooey brownie that is worth the mess it will inevitably make on your face.
- 28-30 minutes if a firm yet still fudgy brownie is what calls your name.
- 33-35 minutes if you prefer a brownie that could masquerade as a mega-rich, chewy cake under the right circumstances.
- As difficult as it will inevitably be, allow the finished brownies to cool for 10-20 minutes.
- Finally, slice into 9 equal pieces (or just leave the whole pan as one piece, there’s no judgment here) and enjoy!
