Brownie Buttons presented in the cake dome I received as a wedding shower gift!
It is really hard to believe that it’s been one year and four months since I have joined this group! It’s even harder to believe how much I have grown as a baker! I’m so grateful to Dorie for all of her wonderful recipes and to Laurie & the other admins for Tuesdays with Dorie!
Choosing my recipe was no easy task- I had narrowed it down to five contenders and then enlisted my Mom & husband to help choose. Majority ruled and the majority chose the brownie buttons!
These little brownies pack quite a punch! I included the orange zest and it was definitely noticeable in the final product- very tasty! It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to get 16 little brownies out of this recipe. What was even harder though, was trying to hold onto the brownies while dipping them in the white chocolate! 
Thanks to everyone who baked along with me this week!!!
I present to you… Dorie’s recipe for Brownie Buttons from Baking From My Home to Yours (pg. 106-107)
Makes 16 Cookies
Serving:
Serve these with milk, coffee or even sniffers of single-malt scotch
Storing:
Covered, these will keep at room temperature overnight. If you wrap them air-tight you can freeze them for up to 2 months, glazed or not.
Ingredients:
Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
For the Glaze (optional)
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two miniature muffin pans, each with a dozen cups, and place them on a baking sheet.
If you’re using the orange zest, combine the zest and sugar in a small bowl, rubbing them between your fingertips to blend; set aside. Whisk together the flour and salt.
Melt the butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and keeping an eye on the pan so nothing overheats or burns. When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two.
Stir in the vanilla, egg and the zest, if you’re using it, into the chocolate mixture. When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir only until it is incorporated. You should have a smooth, glossy batter.
Spoon the batter into 16 of the muffin cups, using about a teaspoon of batter to fill each cup three-quarters full. Put 1 teaspoon of water in each empty cup.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the tops of the buttons spring back when touched. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 3 minutes before carefully releasing the buttons. Cool to room temperature on the racks.
To Make the Optional Glaze:
Melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir constantly and don’t leave the chocolate for even a minute- white chocolate scorches easily. As soon as the chocolate is smooth, remove from the heat.
One by one, dip the tops of the buttons into the chocolate, twirling the buttons so that you get a little swirl at the center of each one and the excess chocolate drips back into the bowl. Refrigerate the buttons for 15 minutes to set the glaze.
Playing Around
Substitute lemon zest for the orange, or try and equal amount of very finely chopped ginger instead of the zest.
