A very soft and melting hazelnut brownie recipe for a chocolate shoot!
Yum! I could almost skip the comments and go straight to the recipe because the photo speaks for itself, right? I made this chocolate hazelnut brownie a few days ago when the weather was gloomy and I must admit that I know nothing better to bring a little comfort when rain is beating against the window!
While I don't like winter (except for skiing), getting back to good chocolate-filled recipes is a little pleasure I don't refuse (that and raclette!). Usually, I use Trish Deseine's recipe which is delicious but I find it a bit heavy. So I wanted to find a slightly airier texture.
Difference between molten cake and chocolate brownie
Although they are both chocolate cakes, molten cake and brownie have several differences. Brownie contains dried fruits (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts...) while molten chocolate doesn't. The texture will also be different because brownie contains more sugar, which gives a caramelized and crispy texture. Molten cake will be softer. Finally, in terms of shape, brownie is often served as small fairly dense squares. Molten chocolate cake, on the other hand, is often a round cake.
The best chocolate brownie recipe
So I searched through my cookbooks and pulled out my secret weapon: Victoire Paluel-Marmont's chocolate cake.
All the recipes I tried were really amazing, so I decided to test the hazelnut brownie one (too bad the book is out of stock, it's my chocolate cake bible). Small oddity, the recipe contains sour cream, something I had never seen in a brownie recipe. Ultimately, it's a really good idea because it helps lighten the texture (yes, yes, I did use "lighten" and "sour cream" in the same paragraph).
A good dose of sugar...
On the other hand, no doubt, given the amount of sugar, we are definitely on a brownie. The recipe includes brown sugar in addition to white sugar (if I had a diabetologist, they would certainly have had a heart attack seeing me pour the sugar!). But this is what gives the brownie its characteristic taste with this characteristic caramelized texture. The result is both crispy on top and melting in the center, but overall it holds together quite well (which is always the real challenge for a brownie). The hazelnuts bring crunch and a little roasted flavor.
Recipe walkthrough
No real difficulty, we start by toasting the hazelnuts in a pan for a few minutes (or in the microwave, it works very well too). We then melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the butter. In another bowl, we mix the eggs and sugars. And we add this mixture to the chocolate. It's time to add the cream, flour and hazelnuts and your brownie batter is ready.
Which pan to bake a brownie in?
I told you earlier, this typically American cake is served in small square portions. Many people now cook it in a square non-stick pan. For my part, I now bake my cakes of this type (like the brookie and cake like a giant cookie) in a pastry frame placed on a baking mat. This avoids the big hassle of unmolding (try it, you'll be convinced!). Still be careful to make a thick layer of batter (at least 3 cm), this brownie doesn't rise and for it to hold it shouldn't be too flat.
How do you know when a brownie is baked?
The only slightly "touchy" point of this recipe is the baking. When you take the cake out of the oven, a knife tip should come out dry. For optimal results, I recommend making the brownie the day before and letting it rest overnight before cutting. This way you'll be sure to have a texture that doesn't crumble when cutting.
