How to turn brownies into chocolate-dipped and decorated works of art using chocolate transfer sheets to make my Chocolate Dipped Brownies edible gifts!
Inspiration
These chocolate dipped brownies were such fun to make. I shared them with my team at work and a few people said they were too pretty to eat - no such thing in my books!
I love using chocolate transfer sheets - they're a quick, easy way to add a little wow to chocolate. I've used them to wrap cakes, cones, close bonbons like these oldies and more recently these. I have even used them to fun up a batch of rice krispie squares.
I made these stencilled brownies back in 2014, using confectioners' sugar and a few stencil designs. They were a big hit in real life and online. I thought it was time to revisit, with a little chocolate thrown into the mix.
Favourite Brownie
I love a decadent, dense, chocolate-rich brownie that melts upon contact with my tongue. I will fight you to the death for the corner pieces and I like to flip the batch over so the crinkly side is at the bottom. Of course, if there is ganache involved, the crinkly side need not be flipped.
One of my absolute favourite brownie recipes is Connie's PMS Brownies from Connie Weis' book, Extreme Brownies: 50 Recipes For The Most Over-The-Top Treats Ever. It's packed with dark chocolate and cocoa powder and totally lives up to it's name - pre and post - once a month like clockwork!
I topped this batch with a decadent milk and dark chocolate ganache, because it was a particularly rough month. You know what I'm talking about ladies.
How It's Done
Whatever your fave brownie recipe, this fun way of dressing them up will make them worthy of gifting, this and many holiday seasons to come. Simply bake, chill to firm up, cut into shapes of your choosing, dip in tempered chocolate and top with thin chocolate transfer decoration before the chocolate sets.
If you cringe at the thought of tempering chocolate, dress your brownies in magic shell - mix of chocolate and oil - and finish them with a transfer sheet accent. Instead of making separate chocolate transfer decorations, you can simply cut the transfer sheets into the shape you want and place directly on the freshly-dipped brownie. The resulting shapes will be a little more organic than what you would get with a cutter or stencil.
Here's a little video of how I made them!
Ingredients
For the brownies: PMS Brownies
For the ganache:
- 100 grams dark chocolate Republica del Cacao Dark Peru 62%
- 60 grams milk chocolate Republica del Cacao Milk Peru 38%
- 40 grams glucose
- 153 grams 35% whipping cream
- 1 gram kosher salt
- 58 grams unsalted butter room temperature
For enrobing:
- as needed tempered dark chocolate Valrhona Satilia 62%
For chocolate transfer:
- as needed chocolate transfer sheets in a pattern of your choice - I used Valrhona Signature Lace
- as needed dark chocolate Republica del Cacao Ecuador + Peru 70%
Instructions
Make the ganache:
- Melt the chocolate and set aside in a tall container or measuring cup.
- Bring the glucose and cream to a simmer over medium heat, then stir in the salt.
- Add the cream mixture to the chocolate and emulsify with an immersion blender, or with a hand whisk. Allow to cool to 30ºC, then blend or whisk in the butter until smooth. Allow to cool at room temperature.
- Once cooled, use an offset spatula to top the brownies with a smooth, even ¼-inch layer of ganache and refrigerate to firm up. This will make cutting easier and cleaner. Use a sharp knife, or guitar if you own one, to cut the the brownies into your desired shape and size. Mine were 1.75 inches.
Make the chocolate transfer deco:
- Secure the chocolate transfer sheet to a clean, smooth surface with non-toxic tape. Spread a thin, smooth layer of chocolate over the textured side of the transfer sheet, using an offset spatula. Lift the sheet and move to a clean area. Use a cookie cutter to cut the shapes before the chocolate sets. Place in the refrigerator to finish setting up. Remove from the fridge and separate the cut shapes from the excess chocolate. Set aside.
Dip the chocolate:
- Use a dipping fork to dip the cut brownies in tempered chocolate to enrobe. For best results, dip repeatedly and allow the surface tension this creates to pull excess chocolate away. Tap the dipping fork on on the edge of the bowl to remove any air bubbles and excess chocolate, then pull across the edge to clean up the bottom.
- Place the dipped brownie on a parchment-lined tray and top with a chocolate transfer square. Allow to set and enjoy!
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