RECIPE - Cashew-nut Brownies (Brownie com Castanha de Caju)

Although last week was a kind-of-official Rice Week here on the blog, we didn't intend to have this one turn out to be a Cashew Week, though it seems to be happening naturally. One post just leads to another, so we'll follow this thread for a while, though this recipe for brownies with cashew nuts will be the last post to mention the words cashew or caju this week, we promise.

Brownies are an American dessert that has taken Brazil by storm in the past few years. They're popping up on restaurant dessert menus everywhere and there are bakery/cake shop-style brownie shops in many Brazilian cities. Here in Fortaleza we have a shop called Empório Brownie which specializes in these squares of chocolate deliciousness.

This recipe, which comes from women's website mdemulher, substitutes cashew nuts for the standard walnuts, as in a classic brownie recipe. Otherwise, it's very true to the original recipe, and the results are an interesting tweak on the usual brownie. For those who love cashew nuts, and they are legion, it's just one more way to gild the lily that is a brownie. Do give it a try sometime.
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 RECIPE - Cashew-nut Brownies (Brownie com Castanha de Caju)
15 portions

1 1/3 cup butter
12 oz (360 gr) semi-sweet baking chocolate
6 whole eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/4 cup (270 gr) all-purpose flour
3 1/3 cup (600 gr) granulated white sugar
1 cup (150 gr) roasted, unsalted cashew nuts, coarsely chopped
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Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

In a double-boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together. Stir to mix completely. Remove from heat, then stir in the beaten eggs, mixing completely. Reserve.

Combine the flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then stir in the butter/chocolate/egg mixture with a rubber spatula, a bit at a time. Stir in the chopped cashew-nuts, mixing carefully and completely.

Pour the batter into a buttered square 8" (20 cm) cake pan. Smooth out the surface with the spatula.

Bake for about 45 minutes in the preheated oven. The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the batter comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares and serve.