Like the enduring search for a suitable mate, a good brownie is similarly hard to find.
There are fluffy brownies, cakey brownies, nutty brownies and frosted brownies. There are chunky brownies, sweet brownies, crispy brownies and chewy brownies. There are more kinds of brownies than there are hours in the day, and for my money, most of them are not worth the bother. I’ve had success with Alton Brown’s cocoa brownies in the past, but every once in a while I get a craving for something just a little bit different…
To my mind, brownies are the ideal candidate for simplicity. I don’t want nuts, frosting, M&M’s or candy mix-ins. And I most certainly don’t want them swirled with cheesecake or peanut butter or any other heavy viscous substance. When I take that first bite, I want the top to shatter in a mixture of crunchy, caramelized chewy delight, while the interior should be rich without being dense or cakey.
In short, I’m looking for a brownie miracle.
Months ago, when I finally located some 100 Mysteries tea, I’d found it a fantastic ingredient to experiment with. It made its way into a panna cotta, and I’d intended to try additional applications, but other projects got in the way. This weekend, I finally managed to pick up where I left off by producing a batch of 100 Mysteries brownies.
