Every once in a while I’ll have an idea, that mesomorphs into another design. Sydney and I thought brownie bites would be a perfect snack for a party or school lunch; we placed the batter in a flexipan half- sphere. Once the brownies were finished baking we realized the half-sphere shape was bigger than we originally thought. Coincidently we had been working with fondant and began turning the scrapes into character chickens; I thought they might be adorable in the brownies. Sydney called them brownie boats; she thought the baby chicks looked as if they were going for a brownie ride!

Decant Chocolate Brownie Boats:

Adapted from the Soho Charcuterie cookbook

•  453 gram/1 ¾-cup unsalted butter
• 453 grams/ 2 2/3 bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 170 grams/ ¾-cup white chocolate chunks
• 170 grams/ ¾-cup semisweet chocolate, cut mini size
• 300 grams/ about6 extra-large eggs
• 2½ -Tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 3-teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 450 grams/ 2¼-cups sugar
• 120 grams1-cups flour
• 30 grams/ ¼-cup flour for the chips
• 9 grams/2-teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F. Lay the flexipan half-speres on a jelly pan.

Prepare your mise en place.

Prepare second half of mise en place.

Finely chop the chocolate.

Melt together the butter and 453 grams of bittersweet chocolate, on top of a double boiler or Bain Marie. Cool slightly.

 Vigorously whisk the remaining unmelted chocolate till it is smooth and shiny.

Remove the chocolate from the heat, pour into a measuring jug (for convince), and allow to become about body temperature.

Place the eggs in a large bowl, add the cinnamon.

 Add the instant espresso powder.

Add the extracts.

 Now add the sugar.

 Using an electric mixer on low speed, whip together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla, almond extract and sugar.

With the hand mixer remaining on low, add in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

 Sift one more time the flour mixture over the batter and fold the flour mixture into the batter until the flour is no longer visible.

 In a small bowl coat lightly the white chocolate and the chocolate mini chunks with 15 gram/ 2-Tablespoon of all purpose flour. Fold in the coated chocolate mini chunks to  the chocolate batter. Pour into Flexipan. Bake for 15-18 minutes, when a cake tester (or toothpick comes out with amount of batter and the tops of the brownies feel like the palm of your hand, they are ready). Allow the brownies to completely cool, invert.

 Fondant Chicks:

• 380 grams/ 1/2-pound white fondant
• lemon yell food paste
• orange food paste
• coconut strips
• Food-Safe black marker
• Brownie half-sphere
• 1/2-cup royal icing colored yellow
• Gloves
• 30 grams/ 1/8-cup water
• small brush

 

Knead the white fondant, remove 1/4 of the white fondant, set aside.

Dip a tooth pick 1/8th up into the lemon food paste, add the color to the fondant, and knead the color until homogenized.

Repeat the coloring process for the orange, cover, and set aside.

 Using the prepared yellow fondant prepare a 1.9cm/ 3/4-inch ball. Roll the ball between your thumb and forefinger creating a log.

Round about half of the log into a ball to form the chick’s head.

The Beak:

Grab about .128cm/ 1/8 inch ball of orange fondant, roll the orange fondant between your forefinger and thumb. Essentially, to create a diamond shape.

Pinch the sides of the diamond (to form the corners). Pinch the center to begin the beak portion.

Wet the back of the beak, with water, attach to the lower potion of the chicks face, securing the corners well.

Slice the beak with a palette, leaving 3/4 of top part of the beak, from corner to corner.

The Eyes:

Using a small amount of white fondant roll  two balls, flatten into oblong saucers, wet the back of  the saucers with a small amount water, and attach above the beak.

Using the food safe black marker color the pupils black.

The Wings:

For each chick use 2 strips of coconut.

Using a paring knife slice a small slit on the sides of the chick, slip the coconut 1/4 of the way into the fondant.

Allow the Chicks to dry for at least 6 hours to overnight. The little chicks can be prepared the day prior.

Assemble:

Using a small pairing knife cut a whole into the center of the brownie half-spheres, pipe a small amount of yellow royal icing into the center, and attach the chicks.