Dorie Greenspan: Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

Since I joined the Tuesdays with Dorie group a few weeks after it started, I wanted to catch up on making the recipes I missed. I thought I'd start with the Quintuple Chocolate Brownies, which was the recipe for week two. Chelle from Sugar and Spice chose this recipe.
I love brownies. I think that a good brownie is the ultimate simple, yet decadent dessert. I have made many brownie recipes in my baking life in search of the perfect recipe. I thought I found it in Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies, and although those are wonderful, I think these are even better. With five types of chocolate, though, how can you go wrong?
The five types of chocolate in this brownie (unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate for the topping), this is a very rich treat. The coffee adds more depth to the rich mix of chocolate. This is an extremely thick batter. These brownies are perfectly soft and gooey, but still hold together well. I am in love. This is the ultimate brownie, and I think I have now found the perfect recipe. Needless to say, I will definitely make these again!

Quintuple Chocolate Brownies
SOURCE: Dorie Greenspan: Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the Brownies:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons strong coffee
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
6 ounces premium-quality milk chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup store-bought milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

For the Glaze:
6 ounces premium-quality white chocolate, finely chopped, or 1 cup store-bought white chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt.

To Make the Brownies:
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add, in the following order, the butter, the two chocolates and the coffee. Keeping the pan over low heat, warm just until the butter and chocolates are melted - you don’t want the ingredients to get so hot they separate, so keep an eye on the bowl. Stir gently, and when the mixture is smooth, set it aside for 5 minutes.

Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, beat the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Don’t beat too vigorously - you don’t want to add air to the batter - and don’t be concerned about any graininess. Next, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. You should have a smooth, glossy batter. If you’re not already using a rubber spatula, switch to one now and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Finally, stir in the milk chocolate chips and the nuts. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out streaked but not thickly coated. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the brownies rest undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. (You can wait longer, if you’d like.)

Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the foil and place it under another rack - it will be the drip catcher for the glaze. Invert the brownies onto the rack and let cool completely.

To Make the Glaze:
Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds, then, using a rubber spatula, gently stir until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth.

Hold a long metal icing spatula in one hand and the bowl of glaze in the other. Pour the glaze onto the center of the brownies and use the spatula to nudge it evenly over the surface. Don’t worry if it dribbles over the edges, you can trim the sides later (or not). Refrigerate the brownies for about 20 minutes to dry the glaze.

Cut into 16 squares, each roughly 2-1/4 inches on a side.

Note: These brownies can be frozen (even with the glaze) for up to two months. They can be stored at room temperature, but I like to enjoy them cold from the refrigerator.