22 August 2015

Gone wrong, gone very wrong

Elsewhere on this blog is my tried-and-true recipe for "easy-peasy brownies", which I made today in a bit of a hurry. I've made it in a hurry many times before, but this time something went wrong. The dough is mixed in a saucepan - you start by melting a big block of butter and then add the cocoa, sugar, eggs, flour, walnuts, and vanilla, in that order.
Yes, it looks like brownies ... but that dish of golden liquid is butter. The butter separated out, and the baked brownies (if they can still be graced by that name) feel rather rigid when tested with a fingertip. I suspect they will be ... chewy, at best.

Are there any food scientists or home ec teachers reading this? What did I do wrong? Is it a matter of too much stirring?

1 comment:

irene macwilliam said...

I am eagerly awaiting an answer to your question too.
my daughter and I do a recipe (super easy) for jimjams. Once or twice mine have come out with the butter separated out like your experience. However the tray bake itself was still delicious, very chewy but acceptable.