Cooking with Ink. Witch s Brew Brownies

Cooking with Ink

Vol 13 October 30, 2020

Witch’s Brew Brownies

Good Evening and welcome to the Thirteenth volume of Cooking with Ink. Today’s article is a hybrid recipe that uses a packaged dessert mix as a base with some added touches.

I ended up using a box of Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix, which I topped with some freshly made buttercream icing, pretzel sticks and a dash of coloured sugar. Unfortunately, I lost about ¼ of the brownies to sticking issues… And by lost, I mean I ate them…

This is going to be the last Hallowe’en themed Cooking with Ink article, until next year. While it was a lot of fun writing them, I’m definitely looking forward to reviewing regular recipes again. Being tied to one theme for an entire month can really take a lot out of you!

Since this is a three-part recipe, you’ll want to start by baking the brownies, as there will be plenty of time to make the American Buttercream Icing, while you wait. Besides, you won’t be able to sprinkle the coloured sugar until the end! Since we will be using mini muffin tins instead of an 8x8 or 9x9 pan for this recipe, the baking time is slightly modified. I would suggest keeping a close eye on the brownies.

If I were to do this recipe again, I would definitely use the larger muffin tins. While the minis are bite sized and fun, you can’t make much of a pocket for the buttercream icing. Since you haven’t started yet, it’s your choice.

*The mini brownies are about the size of a two-bite brownie

Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie

Ingredients

1 pack of Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix

¼ Cup Water

¼ Cup Vegetable oil

Final toppings (post decoration)

1-2 Tablespoons of coloured Sugar

Tools

Mixing bowl or a heavy duty mixer with a bowl Measuring cups

2 mini muffin tins (12 each) or 2 regular muffin tins (6 each) Spoons

Recipe

YIELD: approximately 21-24 mini brownies Approximately 35-40 minutes (prep / baking / cooling)

Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) for metal muffin tins

or 325°F (165°C) for dark metal / coated muffin tins.

Step 2 Grease / spray the muffin tins thoroughly, making sure that the

outer lips of the cups are covered. The brownies will rise and stick to the rims making it harder to remove them without breakage.

Step 3 Take a medium mixing bowl, start by adding the brownie mix then

the rest of the ingredients.

Step 4 Stir until well blended. This stuff gets thick fast, be prepared to

put some muscle into it. If you have a heavy-duty mixer, use the paddle attachment.

Step 5 Once the batter is blended, scoop out enough brownie mix to fill

the cups just below the rim. I would say ¾ of the way full as they rise, but the smaller muffin tin cavities may be too shallow. If you run out of batter, fill the empty spots with water to avoid the tin warping and promote even baking.

Step 6 Bake in the oven on the middle rack for approximately 25 minutes

if it is a metal muffin tin and about 28-30 for a coated / dark muffin tin. Don’t be afraid to check on them, you don’t want them burn. Use a metal skewer to poke the centre of the brownies to see if they are done, the skewer should come out clean once they are baked all the way through.

If they feel a little gooey, give them another minute or two.

Step 7 Once they are done, take them out of the oven and place them on

the stove. Take a small round spoon or other convex shape and gently make a depression into the top of the brownies.

Step 8 Let the brownies cool before attempting to remove them from the

muffin tin. When they have had enough time, take a butter knife and gently work the knife around the brownie. If the pan was greased properly, they should come out with relative ease.

I ended up using John Kanell’s recipe for American Buttercream Icing. I’ve added the written version here with an added ‘tools’ sections. I modified step 5 to mention the food colouring. He mentions an added precaution for step 2 in the video, which he didn’t put in the written article. I would suggest

watching the video to see what he has done.

You can find the URL to both the written recipe (with photos) and his video from the Preppy Kitchen, listed below on the works cited page.

American Buttercream Icing Ingredients

1 Cup / 8 Ounces / 225g Unsalted Butter (Room temperature) 1 Pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon)

1 (454g) pound of confectioner’s sugar 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons (45 ml) of Heavy cream

Food Colouring (your choice, a few drops at time)

Tools

Sifter

Heavy-Duty mixer with paddle attachment Measuring cups

Measuring Spoons Silicone spatula

American Buttercream Icing Recipe

Approximately 5 minutes

Yields : 1 Batch

1. Cream the softened butter and salt in a stand mixer for about a minute using a paddle attachment. You can also make this frosting with an electric hand mixer and a big bowl.

2. Add your powdered sugar to the butter in batches. Make sure to sift your powdered sugar, especially if you’re going to be using any piping tips. Those clumps will cause clogs that make decorating nearly impossible! It’s best to run the mixer on low speed.

*He mentions in his video that you will want to carefully cover the mixer with a clean towel, as the confectioners’ sugar has a tendency to puff out when mixing.

3. After the first batch of powdered sugar is added it’s time to scrape the bowl down, then sift in more powdered sugar and repeat.

4. Add a tablespoon of cream or milk and mix in. You can add more later, if desired.

5. Once incorporated, with the mixer running on low, go ahead and add the vanilla extract or whichever flavouring you’re using. (Don’t forget to add your food colouring at this point). Add more cream or milk as desired to thin the buttercream out. When your buttercream is finished, you should have a nice even and fluffy consistency.

6. You can now use the frosting as desired. If you make it ahead then the buttercream can be chilled and then used after coming back to room temperature. Always give your frosting a whip just before using and feel free to add some milk or cream to thin things out if needed.

The Final Steps

Now that the brownies have cooled; released from their iron prison and the icing has been thoroughly whipped into submission. It is time to fuse the two to make the Witch’s Brew.

Ingredients

1 batch of Buttercream icing

1-2 Tablespoons Coloured sugar 12 Straight Pretzels

Step 1 Take a butter knife and fill the “cauldron” with buttercream icing Step 2 Lightly sprinkle some coloured sugar on top of the buttercream Step 3 Break a straight pretzel in half and push the broken end into the

icing

The end result was a heavy, semisweet brownie with a creamy cap. The pretzels add a nice touch of bready-saltiness that blended nicely with the rich chocolate and sweet buttercream. While it is meant for purely esthetic

purposes, the coloured sugar does add a little sweetness.

I think I will try making a similar recipe during Christmas, but with cupcakes or muffins. Maybe a Swan Lake themed ice pond, we’ll see. Either way, it’s going to be a lighter dessert!

Thanks for reading the article and as always, if you have any suggestions, comments or just want to give me a shout; feel free to leave a note in the appropriate spot!

Ink

Works Cited / Resources

https://preppykitchen.com/vanilla-buttercream/ . Published: April 25, 2019 · Modified: Aug 10, 2020