Panko & Sea Salt Chocolate Crunch Brownies

  • Panko Sea Salt Brownies

    Don’t be afraid.

    I know it sounds strange.  But have I ever led you astray?  (Other than in my series of disasters, like the Unforgiveable BLANDies, which were supposed to be amazing White Chocolate Cashew Blondies if I remembered to add the sugar.)

    But let’s digress from my little kitchen indiscretions.  Let’s focus on your newest favorite dessert.  Yes, it’s this one, with Panko Japanese breadcrumbs.

    If you’ve had Panko crumbs before, you’re slowly nodding at the idea of an interesting brownie- you know that a crap load of crunch will nicely offset the sweetness of the brownie itself and the chocolate chips folded into it’s rich, dense batter.  But the sea salt?  Yes, it’s all the rage right now (see the Browned Butter Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Sea Salt Frosting recipe for evidence that I happily and indulgently follow dessert trends.  Oh, and the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies with sea salt sprinkled on top for good measure.).

    If you haven’t had Panko bread crumbs, then I know you’re confused.  But you need to get in the car right now and buy them (and not just for this recipe, which I will concede sounds a little odd)- you’ll need to use these Japanese bread crumbs in lieu of the regular kind when you want a satisfying crunch instead of a sopping gluten mess.  Really- sprinkle the crumbs on the top of salmon and broil for a minute…

    One last note: it’s about the salt.  I am fostering a salt addiction.  Seriously, I am cultivating a special (and potentially unhealthy) relationship with sodium.  Sea salt and gourmet salts in particular.  I love love love (yes, three love’s) Maldon salt, which comes in such pretty pyramid shapes (see the little pyramid on the bottom brownie pictured above?!), so fun to crumble over almost everything I put in my mouth.  It’s so what all the top chefs use, which is cool enough right there.  But I also love other kinds of sea salt… the pink Himalayan kind, a smokey kind I found in the bulk section of the grocery store, anything course.  And if it’s large-flaked, it looks even better on top of desserts.

    So go forth and buy Panko crumbs and large-flake sea salt.  You’ll use them both, regularly.  And the brownies will be gone before you can bake your Panko-covered dinner.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.


    Adapted from my World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie recipe…

    4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate

    (the better the chocolate, the better the brownie)

    3/4 cup unsalted butter

    2 cups sugar

    2 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla (use the real stuff)

    3 lightly beaten eggs

    1 cup flour

    1 1/2 teaspoons salt

    1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (optional)

    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    1 cup Panko bread crumbs

    1 1/2 tablespoons large-flake sea salt

    1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9 x 9″ foil-lined pan.
    2. Melt chocolate & butter in microwave for 2:15 minutes and stir.
    3. Stir in sugar, then vanilla, then eggs, then salt, espresso powder (optional) & flour.  Stir in chocolate chips last.
    4. Pour half of batter into prepared pan, spread until even, then sprinkle Panko crumbs over base.  Carefully spread remaining batter over Panko crumbs.  Sprinkle sea salt over top of brownies.
    5. Bake for 33 – 36 minutes (until center is just set).  Allow to cool before slicing and stuffing your face.

    Tips:

    • The salt is so essential.  As discussed above, you’ll want to use large flakes (see my picture above!) or at the very least, course salt instead of fine salt.  (Fine salt fits into a salt shaker, and although it’s good to use in the actual brownie batter itself, you don’t want the fine stuff on the top of these brownies).
    • Layers: It might be fun to sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bvottom brownie base, then the Panko, then the top brownie layer… so you have a hardened layer of chocolate along with the crunch.
    • Want to switch the kind of chocolate chips you use?  No one is stopping you.  Milk chocolate all the way!
    • Consult the original Brownie post for tips & tricks…
    • Enjoy!

     

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    May 1st, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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