THE NIBBLE: Dolcielo Gourmet Brownies

Dolcielo Gourmet Browniestheory, it relies on a cookbook published in Bangor in
View this article with photos at The Nibble: Dolcielo1912, long after the first chocolate brownie recipe was
Gourmet Brownies.published by one of America's most famous cookbook
Sweet Heaven: Dolcielo Gourmet Browniesauthors, Fanny Merritt Farmer, in 1906 (and the Bangor
CAPSULE REPORT: Not just another line of fudgyversion was almost identical to the 1906 recipe).
brownies, Dolcielo's flavors are chock-full ofQuite a few sources cite the first-known recipe for
liqueur-marinated fruit and nuts. They're baked with abrownies as the 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue, but
European sensibility: if Italians made brownies, theythis was a recipe for a molasses candy called
would make these. Although there are lots of bigbrownies. Larousse Gastronomique, regarded by many
flavors, they all balance to perfection; and while theyas the ultimate cooking reference, states that a recipe
are melt-in-your-mouth fudgy, they are not too sweet.for brownies first appeared in the 1896 The Boston
In fact, while we knew from the first bite that theyCooking School Cookbook, written by Fannie Merritt
were good, we ate a few before we realized exactlyFarmer-but that was for a confection that was
how special they are. It's an achievement to combinecolored and flavored with molasses and contained no
all those ingredients without being too rich, sweet orchocolate-likely similar to the recipe published in the
heavy.Sears catalog a year later.
Their creator calls Dolcielo "brownies for adults," butBut, as verified by Jean Anderson in The American
we'd take that one step further: they're brownies forCentury Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes Of The
adults with sophisticated palates.20th Century, the two earliest published recipes for
There are hundreds and hundreds of brownie recipeschocolate brownies appear in Boston-based
and dozens of well-regarded gourmet brownies,cookbooks. The first was in the 1906 edition of The
available online at a click. If you want to get noticed,Boston Cooking-School Cook Book edited by Fanny
you have to do something different-and DolcieloMerritt Farmer, which is an early version of the
founder Nanette Littlestone has. Her "brownies forbrownie we know today, utilizing 2 squares of melted
adults" are for sophisticated palates, and theBaker's Chocolate. The second was in 1907 in
sophisticated palates at THELowney's Cook Book, written by Maria Willet Howard
NIBBLE™ think they are very special.and published by the Walter M. Lowney Company of
If we have one nit to pick, it's that some Italian studiesBoston. Ms. Howard, a
are required to pronounce the name of the companyprotégé of Ms. Farmer,
and the individual flavors. We'll do our best to help.added an extra egg to Farmer's recipe, creating
Dolcielo is a coined word for "sweet heaven," from theLowney's Brownies; and then varied the recipe again
Italian dolce meaning sweet and cielo meaning heaven.by adding an extra square of chocolate to create
It's pronounced dole-CHAY-lo (sounds like J-Lo).Bangor Brownies. This apparently is the genesis of the
Italians are among the greatest cooks in the world; andidea that brownies were invented by a housewife in
while buttery chocolate desserts are not part of theirBangor, Maine. This is discussed more thoroughly in
classic repertoire, we venture that they would considerThe Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in
these brownies perfetto. The Dolcielo concept isAmerica, which is the "Encyclopedia Britanica" for food
bittersweet chocolate brownies (Littlestone useslovers-two volumes and 1500 pages on the history,
Guittard 70% couverture) with a dried fruit soaked in amanufacture and marketing of food in the U.S.
liqueur or liquor and paired with a nut. No expense isWhile the first brownie recipes were published and
spared: from the chocolate to the generous amount ofvariations began to evolve in the first years of the
top-quality fruits, nuts and liqueurs, these brownies are20th century, it took until the Roaring '20s for the
packed. They are the fudgy style of brownie: yourbrownie to become "the bee's knees*," a position it
teeth sink right in, and they melt in your mouth.maintains today. Alas, unlike the immortality accorded
A word about the liqueurs and liquors in the recipes:Ruth Wakefield, who invented the Toll
some of the alcohols are extremely subtle; and at anyHouseÂ(R) cookie in the early 1930s, the
rate, don't imagine the brownie version of a saturatedbrownie's originator will probably never be known.
rum cake. Dried fruit is marinated in the alcohol, which*A Jazz Age idiom: something or someone considered
adds a dimension to the fruit: there is noextremely special. According to Mark Israel of the
alcohol-soaked cake. The liquor is a small musical note,University of Ottowa, 1920s U.S. slang had a slew of
not a marching band.similar phrases with the same meaning-including, but not
The Heavenly Brownieslimited to, "the cat's pajamas" and the less familiar "the
There are four "flavored" brownies and an "original,"eel's ankle," "the clam's garter," "the kipper's knickers"
plain, brownie. You can taste all the goodness in eachand "the sardine's whiskers."
bite; and if that isn't enough, the ingredients for eachBrownie Recipe & Serving Tips
flavor are spelled out in detail on the website (not theIf you like fudgy brownies versus cake-type brownies,
recipe, though: you'll have to figure out how to makeor vice versa, how can you tell what you're getting
the magic happen yourself).before you invest time and money in baking a
We asked Ms. Littlestone why her brownies hadtempting-looking recipe?
coined names instead of flavor-related names, which is- Fudge brownies are made by first melting the butter
how consumers traditionally think of foods. In additionand chocolate together, then adding all the other
to seeking names that could be trademarked, sheingredients. Cake-type brownies start by creaming
explained that the business had a "heavenly" namesoftened butter and sugar together in a bowl.
and she wanted flavors that reflected the theme, as- Cocoa powder, rather than melted chocolate,
well as the sophistication and elegance of theproduces a cakier brownie.
brownies (i.e., "Cherry Pecan" or "Amazing Amaretto"- Fudge brownies will look underbaked when done.
just weren't right for the brand). "Italian is such aThey are ready when they just begin to pull away
wonderful language," she said, "It has beauty, elegance,from the edges of the pan with the center still slightly
passion." We agree that these unique browniesmolten. They will firm as they cool. Don't overbake
deserve to be called something more poetic thanfudge brownies-moistness is required for the fudgy
Pineapple Bacardi and Kahlúa Plum...as longtexture. And don't overmix the batter: the more air that
as they come with a translation! Here, the brownieis mixed in, the more dry and cake-like the texture
"menu," translation and all.becomes.
- Amureo™ ("Golden Love"): Apricots- To test if a cake brownie is done, insert a cake
marinated with Amaretto DisaronnoÂ(R) plustester or a toothpick in the middle; moist crumbs
large chunks of almonds. The apricots contribute a niceindicate doneness.
texture rather than lots of apricot flavor. The Amaretto- When refrigerated, brownies become fudgier.
is not pronounced, so don't worry if you don't like a- Brownies can be served with whipped cream,
heavy hand of liqueur: the effect is more of a deliciouscrème fraÃ(R)che, slightly sweetened
almond brownie.sour cream, ice cream, crème anglaise or
- Bellasanti™ ("Sainted Beauty"): Reda sauce of puréed fruit (raspberries are
cherries soaked in Cherry HeeringÂ(R) liqueurmost popular but strawberries, cherries and other fruits
with pecans. Whereas you might have to guess thepair well). If you're making whipped cream, cut the
fruit if you were tasting the others blind, the cherrysugar by 1/3 to 1/2: the brownie provides enough
asserts itself beautifully. This fruit flavor shows thesugar.
best because the dried fruit and the liqueur fruit are the- You can add cognac, framboise or other liqueur to
same. Our favorite.the sauce for an even more festive preparation.
- Celesola™ ("Celestial Isle"):- A good, quick sauce: melt a pint (2 cups) of vanilla or
Pineapple soaked in BacardiÂ(R) Gold withcoffee ice cream at room temperature and stir in 2
macadamia nuts. Although we never would haveounces (jiggers) of bourbon, rum, coffee liqueur, Godiva
thought to add pineapple to a brownie, this was ouror Irish Cream liqueur.
second favorite flavor. The Bacardi Gold put a good- Aside from whipped cream or crème
hit of alcohol into the brownie-it's 80 proof, more thanfraÃ(R)che, the best sauce match for the
twice the strength of a typical liqueur-but the effect isDolcielo brownies is a purée of the fresh
still elegant. The pineapple, though subtle, did show itself.fruit that matches the fruit in the brownie. You can also
- Divina™ ("Divine"): The "original"dot the purée with a tiny dice of the dried
flavor, a pure chocolate brownie without anyfruit in the brownie. If you want liqueur, add the one
embellishment. It is, true to its name, divine.that's in the brownie rather than introduce a new flavor.
- Donamato™ ("Beloved Gift"): PlumsFresh-Baked
with KahlúaÂ(R) Especial, cinnamonEach batch of Dolcielo brownies is baked to order and
and walnuts. The least sweet of the flavors; the plumgift-boxed. Corporate gifts can be customized. The
is subtle and the Kahlúa barely discernable.company itself is a good corporate citizen, donating
But the overall effect is charming.two percent of sales to major nonprofit organizations
- Elegrazia™ ("Graceful Elegance"): Athat support children and wildlife.
limited holiday edition, cranberries soaked in Triple SecBrownies freeze well-you can send someone a dozen
with walnuts, will be available from October throughwithout worry that it's "too many." (They're delicious
December. We plan to serve them as a holidayright from the freezer as well as at room
dessert and give them to especially deserving friends.temperature.)
These are truly brownies for those who deserve "theWith these extra-special brownies, here's some
best of the best"; they are impressive desserts forfreezing advice:
any occasion, for tea parties, dessert parties, office- Wrap them in plastic wrap, then in foil, and place
parties and special events. Serve them instead ofthem in a heavy-duty airtight bag (SaranÂ(R)
another uninspired cake. We also enjoyed snacking onWrap is the preferable plastic wrap since it is not
them throughout the day, cutting small pieces to haveair-permeable.)
with our cups of tea and coffee. They even got us to- Thaw the brownies inside the plastic wrap; then
drink more milk.remove and enjoy.
The Origin Of The BrownieFinal Notes
The brownie, one of America's favorite baked treats,Dark chocolate continues to get good press for its
was born in the U.S.A.-we just aren't quite sure where.health benefits. Our weekly Gourmet News column
It is classified as a bar cookie. There are thousands ofseems to report a new study every few weeks. The
recipes, both "cake" types and "fudge" types. Either islatest research, which we reported on the week of
perfectly correct-and delicious.August 1st, showed that cacao stimulates blood flow in
It's easy to see that the brownie got its name from itsthe brain among the elderly and has cardiovascular
dark brown color. But as with most foods, the origin ofbenefits for the middle-aged. (You can sign up to
the brownie is shrouded in myth, even though it is areceive Gourmet News by RSS on TheNibble.com). If
relatively recent entry to the food pantheon, firstyou're going to have a brownie, make it one with a
appearing in print in the early 20th century. The legend70% cacao base that tastes this good.
is told variously: a chef mistakenly added meltedWe had ordered a half dozen of each flavor of
chocolate to a batch of biscuits...a cook was making aDolcielo brownies, and after we had tasted one
cake but didn't have enough flour. The favorite, cited inbrownie from each box, we thought we would give
Betty Crocker's Baking Classics and John Mariani'sthe rest away-share the wealth, spare the calories,
The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, tells of amove our focus to the next group of items to be
housewife in Bangor, Maine, who was making anibbled. But then we tasted a second brownie, and
chocolate cake but forgot to add baking powder.decided to keep them all. That's an indicator that
When her cake didn't rise properly, instead of tossing itsomething truly is a Top Pick Of The Week.
out she cut and served the flat pieces. Alas for that