Sunday, January 8, 2012

Chocolate Brownie Clusters


Photo courtesy of Baking with the Cake Boss


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These meringues actually have the taste and texture of brownies. They come from Buddy Valastro's new book , Baking with the Cake Boss. In their unbaked state, these cookies look, for all the world, like a genetic accident. By some miracle, probably related to his baking prowess and the marvels of kitchen chemistry, they manage to rise to the occasion and become something you'd be proud to serve to your family and friends. They contain just four ingredients and the dough, which is thick and gooey, is so sticky that it can only be dropped onto cookie sheets. You'll actually need two spoons to accomplish this. One for scooping and the other for dropping. I made two batches of these cookies, and while neither of my efforts looked as good as that shown in the book, they were, nonetheless, delicious. If you love the combination of chocolate and nuts you will enjoy these brownie-like bites. It is important to use extra-large eggs when you make them and I would suggest you spoon, rather than pack, the sugar and cocoa into cups for measuring. Sifting is also important. The finished cookies are not pretty things, but they are delicious. I hope you'll give them a try. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Brownie Clusters...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Buddy Valastro

Ingredients:
3 extra-large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 cups powdered (10X) sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups unsalted raw walnut halves

Directions:
1) Position a rack in center of oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F.
2) Put egg whites and lemon juice in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. (Be sure the bowl is immaculately clean). Whip on low speed for 2 minutes, then on maximum speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
3) Sift sugar and cocoa powder into bowl together, then fold into batter with a stiff spatula until batter is smooth and shiny. Fold in walnuts, until they are well coated with the batter.
4) Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, using nonstick spray or a dab of butter in each corner to glue paper in place. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 1/2 inch apart, being sure each tablespoon has about 3 or 4 walnuts in it.
5) Bake until outside has crisped and bottom starts to pull away from parchment paper, 15 to 20 minutes.
6) Remove cookie sheet from oven. As soon as clusters can be moved, use a spatula to transfer them to a rack and let them cool. Enjoy cookies right away, or store when completely cool in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Yield: 18 cookies.







One Year Ago Today. Pink Grapefruit Salad Dressing
















Two Years Ago Today: Torpedo Rolls

31 comments :

Katarina said...

They sound really delicious! Have a nice Sunday!

Unknown said...

These cookies are wonderful dear Mary Simmy good Sunday

MissB said...

Ahahah love it!
Kiss

Unknown said...

Dear Mary I ask you a pleasure .. I signed up but I can not pintest caraicare photos .. when you have a minute you explain to me how to excuse the trouble Simmy

Diane said...

Oh wow just my sort of cookie, mouth watering, literally. Diane

Cuinera said...

Son muy pero que muy apetitosos estos browine, me ha gustado mucho tu blog me quedo como seguidora ;-)) Besos

Kim said...

It's true, these are not that good looking but they look gooooodddd! Love brownies, i shall give these a try!

Cindy@NorthofWiarton said...

Oh so simply delish looking. I can't wait until I am feeling better and have the grandsons back to try making these. How could anyone go wrong with chocolate and nuts? ...blessings to you, Mary, for a great day and a Wonderful 2012.

Shug said...

As soon as my fast is over, these are first on my list! A must try...
BTW, I really want to try the Pink grapefruit salad dressing that was on the link below...sounds delicious and perfect for a salad...
Have a great Sunday

Tanna said...

Chocolate... decadent richnesss... yummmmm.... blessings ~ tanna
ps thank you. Amanda does seem to navigate motherhood with grace and ease. I feel blessed as a mom and a grandmom. ;)

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

Great photo of these makes me want to dive into your photo!

~Lexibule~ said...

Que de bonnes choses:) Bon dimanche!!xxx

Erin~Just*Grand said...

These look wonderful! I love your blog - how it looks, how you have organized it and how you link to past recipes for each date. I am your newest follower.
Erin

chacha said...

Oh my! They look wonderful to me. A naturally gluten free cookie, too! Hard to beat!

Mukta said...

Thanks a lot Mary for taking the time out for visiting my blog and leaving such lovely comments.I am totally new to blogging and its really encouraging when someone appreciates your hard work.
Thanks again. Loved your blog too !!

Joanne said...

Brownie texture without all the butter? I'm so intrigued!

Pam said...

They look perfectly delicious to me and I'd love to have one right now. Hope you're having a wonderful start to the new year, Mary!

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

I've had many dishes that aren't pretty but are delicious. Since I think your brownie clusters look good, they must be great.

Unknown said...

They might look a bit plain, but oh man, I bet they are oh so good!!

Lyndas recipe box said...

These look addictive Mary. Anything with the word brownie in it has got to be good.

Unknown said...

Sometimes the prettiest desserts taste the worst so looks can be deceiving, but these actually look rich and chocolaty to me so I would take one or two!

I love that you cooked up something from the cake boss. I have always wondered how his cakes and cookies actually taste.

Platanos, Mangoes and Me! said...

Trying to catch up as usual. Stopped by to wish you a very happy and healthy New Year.

What a way to start the new year with the chocolate goodies.

teresa said...

oh wow! i just love these chocolate treats!

What's Baking?? said...

They look absolutely delicious :D

Monet said...

Any cookies that look and taste like brownies have me hooked! This is such a delicious way to begin my morning. I'm drooling just thinking about how great these cookies must have tasted. Thank you for sharing with me...and warm wishes for the new week!

Claudia said...

Your killing my resolve ever so softly with chocolate.

Andrea said...

Hi Mary. thanks for coming to check out my blog. I am new to this and can see I can learn a lot from you. I am looking foward to swaping recipes with you.

Lucie said...

Wow, sounds addictive! Happy New Year, Mary--I'm looking forward to reading all your baking and cooking adventures for 2012!

Ashley Rose said...

I made these a couple nights ago and they were quickly gobbled up. Very, very rich. These do NOT taste like they are butterless/flourless. I found it difficult to fold in all of the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, so after it was folded in just enough to not be "powdery", I went ahead and used the mixer to whisk it in. They turned out looking exactly like the picture! Smooth, shiny and gorgeous!

Sharon Koenig said...

Sounds great! I made something like this recently, except without chocolate.

I think it would be better with the chocolate in it.. who doesn't like chocolate, right? :)

Vicky said...

We've just had this recipe printed in our local paper and it says just 1/4 cup of cocoa rather than 1 & 1/4 cups. I'm not sure which is right but I've just made them with a quarter cup and they were great. I made half the batch with cashews rather than walnuts and I think that they were also delicious!

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