Monday 12 July 2010

Cinnamon Chipotle Brownies

I found this recipe while searching for chilli flavoured brownies; I have one quite good recipe, but that involves toasting and then grinding spices and also needs a few ingredients which I didn't have to hand today. I'll show you that one some other time. I found this Cinnamon Chipotle Brownie recipe on a blog called 'A Mingling of Tastes', which has somehow passed me by during the year I've been paying real attention to food blogs.

As usual, I did a rough conversion to metric weights:
220g 72% chocolate (Green and Black's Dark Cooks' Chocolate, in this case)
170g slightly salted butter
50g plain flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
3 large eggs
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I followed the recipe as given, although as I was using salted butter I didn't add any extra salt. The method was quick and simple and I didn't have any problems. The lower end of the cooking time was right for my oven.

I had to grind my own chipotle chiles from whole ones, with my little coffee grinder, but I did enough for several batches of these, or for a good few meaty chilli dishes. I split the chiles and discarded the seeds. I used the minimum amount suggested in the recipe (a decision made after licking my fingers after handling the chiles, and getting a lungful of airborn dust from the grinder - ouch!) This seemed the correct choice - I think more would have been too much for a sweet dish.

The brownies are moist, rich and lighter than they look. Because they have so little flour the texture is  almost like a truffle, so they seem to melt in the mouth rather than need any chewing. The spices are well balanced with the chocolate, and the chipotle leaves a lingering warmth which is just right for our tastes. Definitely a recipe to recommend and keep using.

All I need now is for someone to clear up the differences between chile, chilli and chili!
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11 comments:

  1. Joanna12 July 2010 at 23:12

    Oh you are brave! I keep seeing this word chipotle (and I don't even know how to pronounce it) so I have had a google and am now more confused as it appears there is more than one sort of chipotle, but I probably won't dare to try this so it doesn't matter really. Do you think if I just left the chipotle out they'd still be good? Fun post though !

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  2. Suelle13 July 2010 at 07:44

    Don't be too scared of chillies (chiles), Joanna. Although you would experience the lovely texture of these by leaving out the chipotle (and I don't know how to pronounce it either), you could add a little of any chili powder you are familiar with. Just make sure it's pure chili (often labelled cayenne in the UK) and not the blend for meat dishes which also contains cumin, garlic and oregano! Try a quarter of a teaspoon for a start and see what you think.

    If you're still unsure, try cinnamon with a little ginger and nutmeg, or some mixed spice.

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  3. Alicia Foodycat13 July 2010 at 14:19

    Chile is a chilli in America, chili is the dish you make from chiles. I think.

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  4. Snowy13 July 2010 at 18:51

    They look good Sue.
    I'm like Joanna, and am not very brave when it comes to using chillies [chiles]! Are these chipotles easy to find in the supermarket, as we're coming to the UK this weekend? Would love to give these brownies a try.

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  5. Suelle13 July 2010 at 19:01

    Snowy - I bought my chipotles by mail order from one of the online stores. I live in the East Anglian countryside and the supermarkets here don't have a wide range of specialist foods. It might be different in towns, but I suspect you still might need a specialist store. Chipotles are smoked jalapenos, and although they smell very smoky, I didn't think the smoky flavour came through in the brownies. I've previously used ordinary chilli flakes and powders in cakes, and think you could do the same in this recipe too.

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  6. Snowy13 July 2010 at 20:53

    Thanks Sue. I'll see what I can find. We're coming to East Anglia - to our son in Bury St Edmunds.

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  7. Chocolate Here13 July 2010 at 23:04

    What a description 'the texture is almost like a truffle'. I will definitely try these but with a different spice ... I am a chilli wimp!

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  8. Suelle14 July 2010 at 06:56

    Gillian (and others) - if you really don't want to use any chilli at all, then perhaps the flavours used in Green and Black's Maya Gold chocolate would work well - a little orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg, plus the vanilla already there.

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  9. Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial15 July 2010 at 07:28

    Suelle, they look rich! I love the chilli (how we spell it here) and dark chocolate combination. A truffle textured brownie sounds most appealing! :)

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  10. Brownieville Girl17 July 2010 at 16:25

    Sounds really different (and yummy) - will have to try them soon!

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  11. Choclette19 July 2010 at 21:47

    Oh goodie - another brownie recipe to try and I love chillies - that's my preferred spelling. Chile is the Spanish for chilli as well as the country, I think the Americans tend to use chili.

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