Which recipe gets the brownie points?

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Brownies are big this season, and there also seems to be no shortage of new baking cookbooks, ever. So we thought we would combine these two ever-trendy classics for a different kind of tasting. We grabbed four recently published baking books and made a brownie recipe from each, comparing the clarity and accuracy of the authors' recipes, as well as the flavor and results of each finished batch. Though some recipes included optional frosting, we chose not to gild the lily and sampled them au naturel.

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Here is a capsule of the results, in order of finish, with comments from our six tasters. Scores are rated on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being highest.

Maybe it's no surprise that all the brownies got above-average scores, and we couldn't leave without sharing the winning recipe, a fudgy crowd-pleaser from baking veteran Betty Crocker.

1. Chocolate Brownies from "Betty Crocker Baking Basics" (Wiley, $25.95). 7 points

This book is for rookies, with a recipe style verging on sterile. That's OK; the brownies earned the highest score, and veteran bakers always value good results. It also included nutritional information, such as it is, which we think is commendable (282 calories per, and worth every one).

Comments: "Dense, fudgy texture." "Good cocoa and vanilla flavor." "Unremarkable."

2. Shirley's Cakey Brownies from "BakeWise" (Scribner, $40), by Shirley O. Corriher. 6.5 points

Tasters loved these dense, chocolatey brownies, and we enjoy Corriher's chatty, science-backed commentary (an approach we like so much, this book was recommended in our holiday roundup in December). Unfortunately, after we toasted the pecans in Step 1, the recipe neglected to tell us what to do with them. Most bakers would know to add them at the end, as we did, but the omission was regrettable. However, the brownies were delish, and it was hardly a fatal flaw _ they would probably be just as good without the nuts.

Comments: "Lots of chocolate flavor, buttery." "A bit too nutty for me but most brownielike." "Hard to cut, very crumbly."

3. Moist & Chewy Brownies from "Baking Unplugged" (Wiley, $29.95), by Nicole Rees. 6.2 points

These fudgy brownies from Rees (a cookbook author whose credits also include recipe development for Fine Cooking magazine) starred cocoa powder and finished a very close third. The instructions were clear and accurate if a bit perfunctory.

Comments: "Intense chocolate flavor; swoon-worthy." "An almost creamy texture." "Overly sweet."

4. Fresh Mint Brownies from "Baking for All Occasions" (Chronicle, $35), by Flo Braker. 5.3 points

We had high expectations because Braker, cookbook author and San Francisco Chronicle columnist, is such a pro. Plus, we love mint and chocolate. Her recipe uses fresh mint, not extract; we loved that idea, but tasters weren't crazy about the flavor the fresh herb brought to the brownie table. However, we had no quibbles with the recipe itself, gracefully written and spot-on accurate. So we intend to try other recipes from this book.

Comments: "Pronounced mint taste; vegetal." "Chewy cake texture; pleasing." "Mint infusion is very natural tasting but distracting."

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CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Stand: 2 hours

Makes: 16 brownies

Adapted from "Betty Crocker Baking Basics."

2/3 cup butter or margarine

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3 eggs

1 ľ cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup each: flour, chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate has melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals on 50 percent power, stirring between, until chocolate has melted.)

2. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture on low speed until combined; beat in the flour. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch square pan (or spray bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray). Bake until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan, being careful not to overbake, about 40 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack; let stand until completely cooled, about 2 hours.

Nutrition information

Per brownie: 282 calories, 53 percent of calories from fat, 18 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 31 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 17 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

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