French Silk Brownies

My daughter Sabrina loves French Silk pie, so I looked for something similar in a brownie and found this recipe at I Am Baker. There are 3 layers to make, but it’s pretty quick to mix up each one. It's a cool and chocolatey dessert that disappeared quickly at my house.

Be aware that the toppings use raw egg. There is no way to know if eggs are safe, but it doesn't stop me from eating some of the cookie dough when I bake.

 

French Silk Brownies

Brownies:

1 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. dark cocoa

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

4 lg. eggs, room temperature

2 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. butter, softened

2 t. vanilla

French Silk Topping:

4.4 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled

1 c. butter, room temperature

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

3 T. cocoa powder

4 lg. eggs, room temperature

Whipped Topping:

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°. Grease 9x13-inch pan.

In a large bowl add flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt. Whisk together ingredients until they are fully incorporated.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

With the mixer off, add in the flour mixture. Turn mixer on low and mix until ingredients are well combined.

Pour brownies into a prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes. Brownies are done when an inserted toothpick is removed with crumbs but not wet batter.

French Silk Topping

Chop dark chocolate and microwave in 30-second increments until melted (about 1 1/2 minutes total). Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Turn mixer on high for 1 minute. Butter and sugar should be lighter and fluffy.

With the mixer on low, pour in the melted (and slightly cooled) chocolate. Allow ingredients to combine for 30 seconds then turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides. Add vanilla and cocoa powder. Mix for about 30 seconds. Add in 4 eggs and turn the mixer on high for 10 minutes. The topping should lighten, increase in volume, and appear very smooth and shiny.

Whipped Topping

In a large bowl, pour the heavy whipping cream. Whip (or use the whisk attachment on a hand-held mixer) for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks occur. Add in powdered sugar and whip until there are firm peaks.

To Assemble:

When brownies are cooled to room temperature, pour and spread French silk topping evenly over top.

Spread whipped topping over top of the topping and smooth with an offset spatula. Optionally, top with chocolate shavings or crushed chocolate cookies. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.