Need help to avert repeat of disastrous attempt to make brownies in TM

[natslim]

My favorite brownie recipe is Best Cocoa Brownies by Alice Medrich.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Best-Cocoa-Brownies-108346

This afternoon I tried to convert the recipe to the TM and it was a complete disaster. I didn't even get past the first step. At least, the TM was easy to clean up! I will tell you what the original instructions are, what I tried, and what happened. I would love some suggestions on how to properly convert the recipe. Thanks!

Ingredients needed for step 1:
135 g butter
250g sugar
40g unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

Original
combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, an salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture smoth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test.

What I tried and the result
I cut the butter (cold from fridge) into cubes and tossed into the Thermomix along with the rest of the ingredients. I set the TM to 3 minutes/50 degrees/speed 2. After the timer went off, I checked and the butter and chocolate mass were not combined at all. It looked pretty unpleasant. I tried faster speeds, higher temps., inserting the butterfly, but nothing worked. It could be that I had already ruined it from the initial attempt and there was nothing I could do to salvage it.

Anyway, I hope someone might have suggestion for how to start out this recipe.

Thanks in advance,
Tanya 

[brazen20au]

was your tmx bone dry before you started?

started to give you advice based on you using chocolate not realising it's cocoa so i have NO idea why it didn't work, seems really weird

[Thermomixer]

Not sure, but would have thought that combining all those and putting on say speed 5 or 6 to start and temp 50 should have worked fine.  I don't make brownies much - but happy to try it out.

[cookie1]

Like Brazen I thought of the chocolate thing, but as she said it is cocoa. I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't combine. Cocoa hates mixing with anything but usually does eventually, especially with heat and stirring.
Will keep my thinking cap on.

[cathy79]

There are a few brownie recipes on here already.  May help to have a look at their process to give you some ideas.

Maybe try melting the butter first?

[judydawn]

Natslim, this is the one I do from Amanda - compare this one with yours.

http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=257.0

[Amanda]

I would try melting the butter and sugar together first, then adding the cocoa.
If it wasn't too hot to put the oven on here in Adelaide, I would give it a go!
What is the rest of the recipe - I may try later on when it cools down.

[cathy79]

Amanda, there is a link to the recipe at the top of the first post. 

[Amanda]

Ooops.   Der!

[Amanda]

Ok - now I have looked at the recipe!
I would grind the sugar up into icing sugar first, then add the butter and just melt, then add the cocoa and cook all together.  When all cooked together, add vanilla and eggs, then add flour etc.
I love a good brownie recipe so I will definitely try it later.

[natslim]

Thanks for all your suggestions! Based on your feedback, I melted the butter first by itself and then added the cocoa, sugar, and salt. It  worked perfectly. I just finished baking a batch and the brownies are cooling down now. Thank you again! Converted recipe to be posted on Monday (California time!). Good night from LA.

[brazen20au]

I was thinking that way myself but it seemed like such a simple recipe i couldn't work out why it hadn't worked the way you did it! lol

[judydawn]

Another problem solved - great going girls.