Outback Steakhouse Chocolate Thunder from Down Under

By Todd Wilbur

Menu Description: “An extra generous pecan brownie is crowned with rich vanilla ice cream, drizzled with our classic warm chocolate sauce and finished with chocolate shavings and whipped cream. A chocolate lover’s dream.”

The gluten-free brownie under the ice cream and homemade whipped cream is a flourless chocolate pecan cake cut into squares. Once the brownie is baked, it is chilled and sliced, then each serving is nuked for about 45 seconds until gooey hot. The fun really starts when you load a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the hot brownie and then drizzle some warm fudge sauce over the top. Outback cooks make the sauce from scratch each day, but it tastes similar to Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping that you can get in just about any market. The homemade whipped cream formula here is easy and better than anything that comes out of a can.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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Pecan Brownie

1/2 cup granulated sugar
24 ounces semisweet chocolate (chips or bars)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Garnish

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9 large scoops vanilla ice cream
One 16-ounce jar Hershey's Hot Fudge Topping
Garnish
Shavings from a semisweet chocolate bar

Do This
- Restaurant/Brand
  Outback Steakhouse
- Instructions
  
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  
  2. Make the pecan brownie by combining the chocolate with the butter in a medium bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir and repeat 3 more times, or until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
  
  3. Beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Mix a little of the warm chocolate into the eggs, then spoon in the rest and mix with the electric mixer until well combined. Mix in the pecans.
  
  4. Pour the batter into a buttered 9x9-inch baking pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the middle of the brownie rises and begins to firm up. Cool, cover, and chill in the pan for a couple of hours. You can also serve the dessert now without chilling the cake--it's just a little more difficult to slice when warm. To serve the cake immediately after baking, follow the remaining steps but skip the microwave heating in step #7 since the cake will already be warm.
  
  5. Make the whipped cream by combining the ingredients in a medium bowl and mixing with an electric mixer on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. Chill until needed.
  
  6. When the brownie is cold, slice it into 9 even portions. Warm the fudge topping in a small saucepan of simmering water for 3 to 5 minutes or in your microwave for 1 minute on high. Be sure to remove the lid from the jar before heating it up.
  
  7. To serve, arrange one brownie on a plate and microwave it on high for 45 seconds, or until hot. Add a scoop of ice cream on top of the brownie, then spoon some fudge topping over the ice cream. Add a large scoop of whipped cream on top of the ice cream. Use a potato peeler to shave some chocolate off the edge of a semisweet chocolate bar, sprinkle the shavings over the top the whipped cream, and serve.
  
  Makes 9 servings.