Ina Garten's Brownie Pudding Recipe Goes Viral

Ina Garten's brownie pudding has become a viral sensation on TikTok following a post by the Food Network. The dessert is a staple from her 2008 cookbook, 'Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics.'

The dish holds sentimental value for Garten, who prepares it to celebrate her marriage to her husband, Jeffrey. The recipe requires basic baking ingredients and a specific preparation method involving a water bath.

Ina Garten's brownie pudding has found new life on social media platforms. The recipe gained traction after the Food Network shared a clip of Garten making the dish on its official TikTok page on November 7. The video originates from an episode of her show, 'Barefoot Contessa.'

Garten prepares this specific dessert to commemorate significant milestones in her marriage. During the episode, she revealed she made the pudding for her and Jeffrey's 40th wedding anniversary. The choice was a nod to her past, as she used to send boxes of brownies to Jeffrey after they first met as teenagers. She remarked on the romantic nature of the treat, stating, "So, I think brownie pudding is very romantic for our anniversary."

The dessert also serves as a tribute to the first dish she whipped up to win Jeffrey's heart. This week, the couple celebrated 57 years of marriage.

The brownie pudding first appeared in Garten's 2008 cookbook, 'Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics.' However, the culinary lineage of the dish traces back to the late chef Anna Pump. Garten met Pump in 1978 while running her Barefoot Contessa store.

Sybille van Kempen, Pump's daughter, described the relationship between the two chefs. "Mom was hired to cook, but the beginning of a beautiful friendship began," van Kempen said. "Mom and Ina motivated each other. They shared ideas and supported each other's growth."

The recipe is characterized by its simplicity, requiring only a few ingredients and minimal preparation time. According to Garten, the dish is 'very wet and delicious,' a quality she attributes to the use of butter. She takes the ingredient seriously, stating on her show, "You can't make brownies without butter. Anyone who tries to make brownies without butter should be arrested!"

The required ingredients for the brownie pudding include:

• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups of sugar
• ¾ cup of good cocoa powder
• ½ pound of unsalted butter (plus extra for the baking dish)
• ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon of framboise liqueur (optional)

Garten explains the role of the optional liqueur: "There's always one ingredient in a dish that you really can't quite taste, but it makes everything else taste better, and in this one, it's one tablespoon of framboise." Framboise is a raspberry liqueur.

Preparation steps outlined in the recipe include:

1. Bringing eggs to room temperature.
2. Preheating the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Melting the butter.
4. Buttering an oval baking dish (recommended size 9 inches by 12 inches, though similar sizes work).
5. Preparing the vanilla bean by snipping the end and scraping out the seeds.
6. Sifting the cocoa powder and flour together.
7. Beating the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 10 minutes until 'very thick and light yellow.'
8. Adding the vanilla seeds and framboise on low speed.
9. Adding the sifted dry ingredients.
10. Pouring in the cooled butter and mixing until just combined.

Once the batter is ready, it is poured into the buttered dish. To ensure even cooking, Garten instructs placing the baking dish into a larger pan filled with the 'hottest tap water' until the water reaches halfway up the side of the smaller dish. This technique is known as a water bath.

The pudding bakes for exactly one hour. Garten advises checking for doneness by inserting a cake tester 2 inches from the side; it should come out '¾ clean.' She notes that the center may appear under-baked, but this is characteristic of the dish.

The final result features a brownie crust that cracks to reveal a gooey middle. It is typically served warm with vanilla ice cream. Garten suggests that the dessert is ideal for the holidays, describing it as a 'warm and comforting' dish.