Higher temp and lower rack for thicker crust in brownies?
I would like to thicken the crust of my brownies. Will I be able to achieve this by setting the pan at a lower level on the oven racks and increasing the temperature? Or do I maintain the same temperature and increase the time? My oven uses a large heating element attached from the top -- that's also where the thermometer hangs.
Presently, the brownies I have are nicely done through and through, but it seems to need a thicker crust. Is this achievable? Or does having a thick crust sacrifice internal doneness due to non-penetration of overhead heat?
Recipe is as follows:
80-g (3/4 cup) pecan halves, roasted and chopped
88g (3 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp salt
220g (~1/2 lb) unsalted butter
150g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
2 large eggs (~110g)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
140g (3/4 cup) All-purpose flour
18 g (1/8 cup) cocoa powder
Deposited in 12-slot pan made for circular cupcakes. 30 mins in a 350F oven with the thermometer hanging directly on the heating element.
Best Answer
Use your normal recipe and then leave the brownies in the oven with the heat turned off!
Start with 10 minutes and next time increase the time until you've reached the crust thickness you desire.
Why?
Leaving them in the oven with the heat turned off will keep on drying the crust (thus thickening it) until the oven cools down completely. (Don't leave them that long or you'll have a brick instead of brownies)
;-)
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Why are my brownies not cracking?
Be sure to cream the butter and sugar together at a medium speed. Then, add your eggs one at a time while constantly mixing them in. Mix in the egg thoroughly before adding another egg. If you beat them for too long or even not long enough, the brownies will create cracks once you pour the batter into the pan to bake.Why do my brownies puff up?
When you beat the eggs and butter you incorporate air into them, and the flour stabilizes the air bubbles. But if too much air is in the mixture for the amount of flour, the brownies "over-expand" as they bake, but collapse, or cave in, as they cool and the unstable air bubbles deflate.What does it mean to rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough?
Rapping is an old-school baking technique that refers to physically forcing air out of a baked good by lifting up the pan and dropping it during baking, which causes the batter to deflate. For things like cakes and muffins, this would be a disaster! The cakes would lose structure, collapse, and turn out stodgy.The Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes When Baking Brownies
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