Cooking Corner: Spider Web Brownies

By: Olivia Kogan

46 mins- 2 dozen small (2″) or 1 dozen large brownies

Brownies

· 4 large eggs

· 1 1/4 cups (106g) Dutch-process cocoa

· 1 teaspoon table salt

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional for enhanced flavor

· 1 tablespoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract

· 16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter

· 2 1/4 cups (447g) granulated sugar

· 1 1/2 cups (180g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

· 2 cups (340g) chocolate chips

Filling

· *Substitute 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil, to taste.

Instructions

Prepare the brownie recipe as instructed and spread the batter in a greased 9″ x 13″ pan, or two 8″ round pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the cream cheese, sugar and flour in a small bowl, and mix until smooth. Add the egg yolk and optional peppermint extract, mixing until smooth once again. Transfer the mixture to a disposable pastry bag, and cut just the very tip off the end.
Place a small pool of the mixture slightly off-center in the brownie batter. Draw circles around this pool about 1″ apart, moving out from the center each time. Once the circles are drawn, take a table knife, wet the tip, and draw it from the center out towards the edge. The knife will draw the cream cheese filling into arcs. Repeat this motion every 1″ to 2″ to fill in the rest of the spider web.
Use any remaining filling to trace the path where the knife traveled, to create the spokes of the web, if desired.
Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, until the brownies just barely pull away from the edge of the pan. The center will rise while baking, but will sink back level once the brownies are cool. Remove them from the oven and cool before cutting.
Store any leftover spider web brownies, well-wrapped, at room temperature for 5 to 6 days. Freeze for longer storage.

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