I used to make from-the-box brownies on Friday nights to keep me busy during commercials for Miami Vice, in my opinion the premiere television drama behind Degrassi High. My sister Bridget taught me that if you take the brownies out of the oven about five minutes early, you will have a perfect gooey texture. At BabyCakes NYC, I developed a recipe to replicate that consistency but with a full cooking time, mostly to avoid the retching stomachache I'd have for the second half of the Don Johnson fashion parade. Initially these brownies were made in a square casserole pan and each batch yielded twelve brownies. Because they are so rich, however, I decided to bake them in mini-muffin trays and serve them as bite-size morsels. Now these tiny little flavor agents are nearly impossible to keep in the case. If you're whipping up a batch, be warned: You may want to double the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease 3 (12-cup) mini muffin pans with oil.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Add the applesauce, 1/2 cup oil, hot water, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Using a melon baller, scoop the batter into each prepared mini-muffin cup. Bake the brownies on the center rack for 10 minutes, rotating the tray 180 degrees after 5 minutes.
The finished brownie will have a firm edge with a soft center, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Let the brownies stand in the pans for 10 minutes; they are best served warm. To maintain freshness, leave the brownies in the pans until ready to serve. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*Can be found on the web. For a fudgier cake, bake for only 8 minutes total.
Reprinted from the book "Babycakes" by Erin McKenna. Copyright (c) 2009 by Erin McKenna. Photographs copyright (c) 2009 by Tara Donne. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc.