Not every day is great, best ever, or outstanding. Some days are really, really good; some are just good enough;, some are not so good; and, some are downright bad. Just as in life, not every brownie is oh-my-god so crazy good; best-ever; mouthwatering; over the top; killer; drop the mic delicious; beyond amazing; or epic. Some of them are just okay; some leave us wondering why we even took a bite; some are overdone; some are underbaked; and, some are just not very good at all. So when we come upon a brownie encouraging us to plant our faces into the entire platter, we realize we have discovered brownie nirvana. And shortly after the first bite of what we consider a 'to-die-for' brownie, we start doing out best day ever happy dance. Who knew that simply indulging in rich, chocolately, fudgy brownies could shift how we perceive the day. These unicorn brownies are like magical 'makes everything better' bandaids. They can make a bad day good or turn a good day into a great one.
Last week I had one of those brownie inspired great days. And I am giving all the credit to these euphoria inducing Triple Chocolate Milky Fudgy Brownies.
The day I discovered Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies, I thought I didn't need any other brownie recipe in my life. But then I made some Marbled Cheesecake Brownies and decided I could make room in my brownie loving life for another one. Mindy Segal's Chocolate Brittle Brownies (aka Barter Brownies) forced me to reconsider living a two brownie life. Then along came the Raspberry Truffle Brownies and Raspberry Brownies. Well, aren't chocolate and raspberries an almost irresistible flavor combination? With five brownie recipes already competing for my brownie loving attention, did I really need one more? Maybe it was my curiosity over the taste of sweetened condensed milk swirled through a brownie batter made with three kinds of chocolate that had me saying yes, yes, yes.
These Triple Chocolate Milky Fudgy Brownies were either going to be an epic win or epic failure. There is no gray in my brownie world. In an effort to discount my personal bias, I decided to bring them to the Thursday night running group. My overly confident, tentative epic designation turned out to be validated by more than eight runners. Clearly I this used a highly scientific taste testing methodology for vetting these brownies! Based on both their feedback and my own personal high, persnickety brownie standards, I have decided to shift my favorite brownie recipe order of preference. Additionally, it would now be safe to say I have now reached my brownie recipe limit.
Technically there are three kinds of chocolate in these brownies. Unsweetened cocoa powder and dark or bittersweet chocolate are combined with melted butter before being mixed into the lusicous batter. Dark or bittersweet chocolate chips add even more chocolate flavor and texture to the baked brownies. If you can, use a larger sized chocolate chip in these brownies (I like the Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips). Before assembling the batter, make the butter/chocolate mixture as it will need a little time to cool slightly.
The assembly technique is a bit different from all of my other favorite brownie recipes. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, kosher salt, instant espresso powder, and eggs are all beaten together until the batter is thick and fluffy. It will take at least eight minutes for the batter to achieve this consistency. After the butter/chocolate mixture is blended in, the flour is folded in (in three additions). Finally, the chocolate chips are hand mixed in. The brownie batter is much thicker than a cake batter but not as uber thick as I thought it might be.
The idea for the addition of sweetened condensed milk to the brownies actually came from a Stella Parks brownie recipe. Although, originally I was going to make them using dulce de leche. Only I couldn't find the brand I wanted to use. In hindsight, I am glad I made these Triple Chocolate Milky Fudgy Brownies using the sweetened condensed milk first.
After dropping 12 large dollops of sweetened condensed milk on top of the brownie batter, I used a chopstick (you could also use a butter knife) to gently swirl it in. Some of the sweetened condensed milk will sink into the brownie batter (and you want that to happen). However, be careful not over swirl as you want some of the sweetened condensed milk to be visible on top of the brownies after they are baked.
In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, it will take somewhere between 45-50 minutes for these Triple Chocolate Milky Fudgy Brownies to bake. When the edges of the pan begin to show some crackling and the center is set (not wobbly), the brownies are ready to be removed from the oven. Once cooled completely, they can be cut into squares or small bites. However, I would highly recommend you place the cooled brownies in the refrigerator to allow them to chill. Not only are they easier to cut, their texture and flavor increases exponentially.
Some of the sweetened condensed milk will pool into the middle and bottom of the brownie. The taste of the creaminess of the sweetened condensed milk inside the dense, fudgy brownie texture is what makes these brownies so dangerously delicious.
I tasted these brownies cooled to room temperature and chilled. It took all of my restraint and then some not to eat them warm right out of the pan. Honestly, I think they are at their bestest after being chilled. But I wouldn't refuse to eat one at room temperature.
As with any baked good, we all have our own definition of what makes something epic. Particularly when it comes to brownies. Case in point. My sister and I are perfect examples of two people who share the same DNA, yet who sometimes have very different opinions on cookies, cakes, candies, and, of course, brownies. In spite of not seeing whether or not she agreed with me about these brownies, I am still confident your level of brownie fussiness will permanently change after you take a bite of these. Whether you throw out all of your other brownie recipes or rearrange their order from bestest to goodest, you will want these brownies in your life. Especially if want to turn a bad day into a good day or a good day into a great one!
Triple Chocolate Milky Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
8 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cocoa), chopped
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (16 Tablespoons, 226g) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (52 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso
4 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 1/2 ounces) semi-sweet or bittersweet (60% cocao) chocolate chips
1/2 to 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (approximately a half can of sweetened condensed milk)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9" inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized pan, melt the butter completely. Reduce heat to low and add in the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, instant espresso, and eggs. Beat until thick and fluffy (approximately 8 minutes).
4. Reduce speed to low and pour in slightly cooled, but still warm chocolate mixture. Mix until no chocolate streaks remain.
5. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture in three additions until well combined.
6. Mix in the chocolate chips.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Dollop 9-12 Tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the batter. Using a chop stick or knife, create swirls by dragging the milk through the batter.
9. Bake the brownies for 45-50 minutes or just until center has set. Note: The center will not be as firm as the sides of the brownies.
10. Let brownies cool completely. Remove from pan and cut into even squares. Highly recommend chilling the brownies before cutting and serving so they are at their fudgiest!
11. You can serve these brownies at room temperature, but they are at their epic best chilled.
12. Store brownies covered in the refrigerator.
Notes: (1) Instead of using sweetened condensed milk could also use Dulce de Leche and/or peanut butter. (2) I used Trader Joe's unsweetened cocoa powder. (3) I used the Ghiradelli bittersweet (60% cocao) chocolate chips. They are a slightly larger sized chocolate chip.
A harbor in Newport, Rhode Island on a gray day and a blue sky day. (June 2018)
