Four-Part Harmony Brownies

This ain't yo momma's brownie



The four secret ingredients in these brownies will make you want to sing! 



I wanted to bring my choir an easy-to-make treat for a long day of rehearsing, so brownies seemed like a good idea.  I'll admit it - I was planning to use a mix - but I looked at the ingredients on the box when I was at the store, and just couldn't bring myself to buy it.  I quickly found a basic recipe online (on my phone, in the middle of Target, thanks to the wonders of technology and all that), purchased the ingredients I didn't have on hand already, and scurried home to make a delicious pan of brownies from scratch.

But since I'm...well, how I am...I had to modify the recipe to suit my whims and preferences. 



My version yields a velvety, dense chocolate brownie that is crunchy on the outside and full of rich, gooey goodness on the inside.  These brownies have an exotic flavor, thanks to the addition of muscovado sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil, and fleur de sel; however, I wouldn't call them "salted cinnamon coconut brown sugar brownies" because the flavors are subtle, playing a supporting role to the chocolate and making a basic, classic dessert just a little more sophisticated.

I'd use an obvious choir metaphor about all the parts blending perfectly in tune, but why embarrass myself?

Read more after the jump...

A few notes:

• Because these are made from scratch without preservatives, they won't keep as long as the kind you make from the box, and will dry out if left uncovered.
• The cinnamon we know and love is not actually cinnamon, but is in fact from a plant called cinnamonium cassia (or cassia cinnamon).  I learned that from Alton Brown years ago*, but it took me until recently to find and procure true cinnamon, cinnamonium verum, or Ceylon cinnamon.  It is a softer, sweeter taste than cassia, and I've been putting it in everything I bake.  I haven't managed to grow tired of it yet.  I recommend it highly, as it has more health benefits than cassia cinnamon.  However, any cinnamon will work just fine here.
• If you don't have access to muscovado sugar, you can substitute light brown sugar or half dark brown sugar, half turbinado sugar.  Muscovado is often a hard block when you buy it.  You can soften it by placing it in a bowl covered with a wet tea towel for a few hours, but if you don't have time for that, you can break it up as best you can and moisten the chunks in the oils over the stove (see directions below).
• I coat the greased pan with sugar instead of flour.  This gives a nice, caramel-ly crust on the outside of the brownie.  You can also use a dusting of cocoa powder.  Or flour, if you're old school (ain't nothin' wrong with that!).

*Good Eats, Season 10, "House of the Rising Bun"

CHOIR BROWNIES
Ingredients
¾ c butter
¼ c coconut oil (or ¼ c additional butter for 1 c total)
½ tbsp. cinnamon
2 c white sugar
1 c  muscovado sugar
5 large eggs
1 ½ c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. fleur de sel or grey salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9"x13" pan with softened butter and coat with sugar, cocoa powder, or flour (see notes, above).

Sift flour, cocoa powder, and cinnamon together into a large mixing bowl.  Add the sugars.  On the stove, melt the butter and coconut oil.  Add to the dry mixture and combine until mostly incorporated.  Stir the eggs into the mixture until the batter becomes homogeneous.  Add the fleur de sel and mix lightly into the batter.

Pour into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.  You might think they're not done yet, but trust me, they will be.  The insides stay dark and moist.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar (if desired) before serving.

In case you forgot what brownies looked like.