Made Cyn's Fudge-Topped Brownies yesterday for a BBQ

C

CathyZ

Well-known member
...and, like any time I make them, they were the hit of the party. I make them in a 10" round silicone pan so I can peel the pan off and easily cut small wedges. Cyn posted this REC at Gail's and ever since I have been making it. Here it is for those of you who haven't seen it. Cyn, would you post it in favorites, please?

Fudge-Topped Brownies

for the brownies:

1 c butter or margarine, melted

2 c granulated sugar

1 c all-purpose flour

2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

1/2 c milk

1-1/2 tsp tsp vanilla extract

1 c walnuts, chopped

for the fudge:

2 c semisweet chocolate chips

1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Spread in a greased 13 X 9 baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the brownie pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Fudge: melt semisweet chocolate chips with condensed milk and vanilla. beat well and immediately spread over the hot brownies. Cool and cut.

My notes: for me, a 13 X 9 pan is too big for this recipe- the 10" silicone round pan with 2" sides is perfect. Also, when mixing the brownies, I like to start with all the dry ingredients, mix them, and in another bowl mix the eggs with the milk then dump into the dry ingredients along with the melted butter and mix. When I make the fudge, I do it in the microwave- one minute on high to soften the chips up is enough- then I stir until it is smooth.

 
This is one place where I think brands can REALLY differ...

I have some of just about every one made and find they all work slightly different (guess I sort of did my own Consumer Reports/Cooks Illustrated testing). Even though they are much more expensive, the blackish/brown ones made by DeMarle who sort of invented the whole silcone bakeware concept really are the best. You can get their commercial lines through restaurant supplies or the retail line through 'home sale' reps which I started out to do once but just don't like the whole concept of 'parties'.

But to answer your question, it depends on what you are baking and how you like things to turn out but I do like the silicone bakeware quite a bit. The finish on the surfaces will be quite slick and shiny and you do need to let it cool a few minutes before trying to handle and turn it out especially on molds with lots of intricate details. But remember that unlike other pans which hold the heat, as soon as you take these out of the oven and off the metal support pan onto say a cooling rack, the heat is gone - just what is left in the baked good and it even helps get that cooling down fast while still in the pan.

If you use them, just like with any good pans, watch spraying them with non-stick sprays as that just builds up a sticky mess that can be a little hard to clean. Almost nothing I cook in them requires any greasing and flouring.

 
Marg, I have used silicone bakeware for about 3 years and am ALWAYS amazed when I

pop something out of the pan- like the fudge-topped brownies a couple days ago....I peeled the pan right off the brownies after not preparing the pan at all. No grease, no flour, nothing. Just ooey-gooey brownie batter went in. I make popovers and muffins in the muffin pan, cakes, you name it- they always come out perfectly.

The one thing you must be aware of is that they are flexible so when you put something in the oven or take it out, you might get spills or food cracks. I put them in on a cookie sheet then take the cookie sheet away- same when things are baked- I put a cookie sheet under whatever I take out and then take it away. Sort of like a pizza peel I guess.

Missy- thanks for the lesson in the quality difference of the pans- I wasn't aware of that and will look for the "good" ones.

 
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