WHITE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
SOURCE: DORIE GREENSPAN. BAKING: FROM MY HOME TO YOURS.
By having white chocolate take the place of dark chocolate, these moist and dense cakey brownies have exchanged conventional wisdom for albinism colorized with marvelous flavors of grated orange zest and fresh raspberries. An additional topping of baked meringue upgrades the delicate dessert for swanky affairs to remember. Even a food snob will be none the wiser on how a deviantly simple sweet treat in its glamorous disguise managed to climb the social scale and slip past his or her snooty defenses!
Ingredients
2/3 cup/80 grams all-purpose flour plus more for dusting the baking pan
1/2 cup/55 grams pulverized almonds OR almond flour
1/2 teaspoon/3 grams sea salt
1/2 cup/114 grams unsalted butter, cut into chunks
4 ounces/114 grams finely chopped premium-quality white chocolate
1 cup/200 grams sugar
2 teaspoons/2 grams grated orange zest
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon/5 mL pure vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste
1 cup/170 grams fresh raspberries
Meringue
3 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup/100 grams sugar
Confectioner’s sugar for garnish
OPTIONAL: Raspberry Coulis for garnish
Specific Equipment
9-inch/23-cm × 13-inch/33-cm baking pan
Parchment paper
Wire whisk
2 medium-sized mixing bowls
Small saucepan
Rubber spatula
Stand mixer bowl
Stand mixer equipped with a paddle and whisk attachment
Wire rack lined with parchment paper
Strainer or flour sifter
Cutting board
Makes about 32 bars
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C.
2. Grease the 9-inch/23-cm × 13-inch/33-cm baking pan by brushing with butter. Line the bottom of the baking pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with butter. Dust the baking with flour, spreading all over the parchment paper and all sides of the pan. Tap out the excess flour and set the baking pan aside.
3. Whisk the flour, pulverized almond or almond flour, and salt in a mixing bowl until well-blended. Set aside.
4. Bring water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove the saucepan from heat and set another medium-sized mixing bowl over. Place the butter in the mixing bowl and stir in the white chocolate. Stir frequently with a rubber spatula until both the butter and white chocolate have melted and are well-blended. Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and set aside.
5. Combine the sugar and orange zest in a stand mixer bowl until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Attach the mixer bowl to a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment and beat in the eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the eggs have turned pale yellow and foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and pour in the molten white chocolate and butter mixture. Mix in all of the dry ingredients until they are no longer visible in the batter. Scrape the batter into the baking pan with a rubber spatula, spreading evenly and sprinkle the batter evenly with fresh raspberries. Set the baking pan aside.
7. Clean the stand mixer bowl thoroughly and let dry. Replace the paddle attachment of the stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
8. Beat the egg whites and salt in the stand mixer bowl on medium speed until they have foamed and turned opaque. Raise the mixer speed to medium high and gradually beat in the sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites have doubled in volume and formed stiff and glossy peaks. Gently spread the meringue over the brownie batter.
9. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes or until the meringue topping has turned golden brown and cracked and the brownies have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Remove the baking pan from the oven and place over a cooling rack lined with parchment paper. Let cool for 10 minutes.
10. Dust the meringue topping with confectioner’s sugar by sprinkling a spoonful over a strainer or flour sifter. Turn the brownies out carefully onto a wire rack lined with parchment paper, making sure the meringue topping does not squish, and peel away the top parchment paper lining. Invert the brownies carefully onto a cutting board. Cut the brownies into about 2 1/4-inch/5.7-cm × 1 1/2-inch/3.9-cm bars. Serve the bars with Raspberry Coulis, if desired.
