Midnight brownies

You bought extra Halloween chocolate, right? Because you'll need them for these decadent brownies.

These brownies probably got their name because they're both a dark chocolate brownie as well as the add-ins are Midnight Milky Way bars. But you can add almost any kind of candy to them as they're pretty versatile.

This is one of my favorite brownies because of their taste, texture and how thick they come out of the pan.The recipe is from "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle and I've gotten some consistently great recipes from this cookbook. Sometimes Midnight Milky Way bars are hard to come by so I substitute regular Milky Ways (for the nutless version) and/or Snickers bars.

Around Halloween, these are great to make since those candies are abundantly available and often go on sale. After Halloween, I'm always stocking up on bags of Halloween candy that I can bake with.

This brownie also travels well. I cut them into individual portions, wrap them in plastic wrap, stick them in the freezer then pull them out when I'm packing my suitcase. Same goes if I ship them somewhere.

Midnight brownies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Five 1.76-ounce Milky Way Midnight Bars, chilled and cut into large dice
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
5 large eggs
2 cups superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches beyond 2 opposites sides of the pan. Lightly grease the foil.

2. Sift together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Stir until combined. In a small bowl, toss the candy bar chunks with 1-1/2 teaspoons of the sifted mixture.

3. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, heat the butter and unsweetened chocolate, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to tepid.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs for 1 minute to blend, then add the sugar and whisk for 45 seconds, or until just incorporated. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then the vanilla extract. Sift the flour mixture over the top and slowly whisk it in, mixing until just blended. Stir in the candy.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly, and smooth the top, using a rubber spatula. Bake the brownies for 45 to 50 minutes, or until puffed and set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.6. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack. Using the ends of the foil as handles, lift the brownies out of the pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to cut.

7. Cut the brownies into 16 squares.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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