Who doesn’t love a good brownie?
As promised today I am going to share with you my recipe for the best sourdough brownies. This recipe uses discard so you don’t have to feel like you are wasting anything. It is also super fudgy, rich and yummy. So much so that my 2 year old woke u at 3am the other morning begging me for one. The only problem with that is that she ate the last one before bed the night before.
Around here we all love us some brownies. I will also say that it took me a long time to perfect my brownie recipe. For the longest time we kept reverting back to the boxed ones. I mean for what they are the boxed ones are okay. But who doesn’t love a good brownie, boxed or homemade? You all know me though, if I can make it I’m determined to. Even if it takes a long time to get it right.
I will share at a later date the recipe I came up with before I got really committed to sourdough. For now though I want to keep you from wasting all that useful discard.
Let’s get started
The first thing you will want to do to get started on your way to a warm, decadent brownie, is to preheat your oven to 350℉, and line a 10×13 pan with parchment paper. Then you will want to melt a cup, or two sticks of butter. I do this on my stovetop in a cast iron pan, but you can use your microwave if you prefer. Make sure not to burn it.
Once your butter is melted it’s time to add in 24oz of the chocolate chips of your choice. I normally just use the Kirkland brand from Costco. They come in a 4lb bag so it’s perfect if you want to make a lot of brownies, or you just love chocolate chip cookies. You will also add in one cup of cacao powder and one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Stir it until all of the chips are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
This is how it should look once it is all melted
While it cools
While your chocolate mixture cools, add to the bowl of your stand mixer two cups of granulated sugar, one cup of brown sugar, and four eggs. Beat them together on a medium low speed for seven minutes.
Now you will add in the melted chocolate, and one cup of your sourdough discard. Mix it until just combined. Over mixing can result in a less than desirable end result. When it is combined you will add in two cups of flour and two teaspoons of salt. Mix until you no longer see any flour speckles.
Time to bake
It is finally time to bake! You will obviously want to pour the batter into your prepared pan first. Then pop them into the oven for about 30 minutes for perfect almost done brownies. If you like them well done you will want to give them about 5 to 10 more minutes in the oven. This recipe will serve a small crowd but can easily be reduced if you want to make fewer, or doubled if you are feeding a large crowd. This recipe just the way it is will last about 2 days in my house, if they are kept out of Mary’s reach.
After they cool for a few minutes you can lift them out on the parchment paper and cut them to your desired size. you can then enjoy right away or place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Our favorite way to enjoy them is with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream on top drizzled with a bit of salted caramel sauce. Mary sprinkled our last batch with Cajun Seasoning, which actually was not as bad as you might think. Our Noah likes them with a bit of powdered sugar sifted over the top, he gets this from my dad.
What ever way you choose to eat them, I hope you enjoy.
Perfect Sourdough Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup melted butter
- 24oz chocolate chips
- 1 cup cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sourdough discard (does not have to be active and bubbly)
- 4 large room temperature eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350℉ and line a 10x13in pan with parchment paper.
- Melt your butter over medium low heat, being careful not to burn it. Once it is almost completely melted add in your chips, cacao powder, and vanilla. Stir until chips are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Alternatively you could use a microwave.
- While that is cooling, add to the bowl of your stand mixer your eggs and sugars. Beat them together for around 7 minutes.
- After seven minutes add in the chocolate mixture and discard. Mix until just incorporated.
- Add in flour and salt and mix until well combined.
- pour into your prepared pan and pop in the oven for 30 minutes if you want them slightly underdone. Add 5 to 10 minutes for brownies that are more done to well done.
- Cool for a few minutes then lift out and cut into squares.
- Serve immediately after cutting or cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Goes well with ice cream or just all by itself. You could always make some chocolate cream cheese frosting too.
