Legendary Brownies of New York

Earl Grey Brownies - September, 2016.

I love a good cup of tea!  Totally by accident, I discovered that adding my favorite blend (Earl Grey) into a batch of brownies can satisfy multiple tastes.  This is one of my favorite recipes to bake.

The recipe can be found on pages 136 and 137 of Fat Witch Brownies.

• Ingredients
• ½ cup boiling water (start with more in your pot) 
• 5 Earl Grey tea bags 
• 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter 
• ⅓ cup bittersweet chocolate chips 
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar 
• 3 large eggs 
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
• ½ teaspoon salt

• Directions
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease 9” square baking pan with butter and dust with flour. Tap out the excess.
• Pour the boiling water over the teabags and let steep for at least 15 minutes.
• While the tea is steeping, melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan (or microwave) over low heat.
• Stir frequently.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. 
• In  a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
• Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until well blended.
• Squeeze as much tea as possible out of the tea bags and then discard the bags.
• Add the tea water to the batter and mix until well combined. 
• Measure the flour and salt and sift directly into to batter. 
• Mix gently until combined and no trace of the dry ingredients remains. 
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for  25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with only crumbs, not batter on it.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. 
• Cut just before serving. 
• Makes 12-16 pieces 
• Cover with plastic wrap or foil to stay for 3-5 days at room temperature.