Quarantine Brownies

The invention of this recipe started with too many leftover egg whites after I made pastry cream. I had to come up with something to do with them, because I didn't just want to throw them out. So, I did what everyone else would do, I googled "what can I make with egg whites." A lot of recipes popped up, but when I saw a recipe for brownies I was really excited. And so I went to my kitchen and started the first step without really reading the recipe.

This turned out to be a mistake, because I didn't realize that I was out of cocoa powder (and my kitchen is usually well stocked with baking items), and some of the other ingredients weren't things I usually buy. Since NJ is still under a stay at home order from Covid-19, I also couldn't just quickly run out to the grocery store to pick things up, because grocery store trips require a lot of time and effort right now. So I stood there with a pot of melted butter and a pre-heated oven and tried to figure out how I could make the brownies with the things I did have, and voila, my quarantine brownie recipe was created. This is a pretty simple recipe, a great way to use leftover egg whites, and these turned out to be some of the fudgiest most delicious brownies I've ever made.

Quarantine Brownies

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9 square baking pan.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the chocolate chips, vanilla, and salt until the chocolate has melted.
Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, add the sugar and egg whites into a large bowl and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Mixture should be somewhat thick and foamy.
Add the butter and chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and mix until it becomes incorporated. Slowly mix in the flour until it is well combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies contains moist crumbs.
Allow brownies to cool, then cut into squares and serve.