I’ve baked a few brownie recipes, trying to figure out the characteristics that I enjoy most in a brownie. Many people like dense, fudgy brownies. Others prefer moist, cakey brownies. Most recipes lie somewhere along this spectrum, and I found this recipe, which ultimately comes from the Baked Bakery in New York City, is roughly in the middle with a slight skew towards the fudgy side.
The “taste testers” at the birthday party to which I brought these brownies much preferred the Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars instead (there was also cake and other brownies present, too), so I ended up bringing a lot of them home for “further analysis.” They were not the best brownies I’ve ever had, but I thought they were more than serviceable.
BAKED BROWNIES
Based on this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
11 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang to easily remove brownies from the pan after cooling. Set aside.
- In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt chocolate, butter, and espresso powder until chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.
- Turn off the heat, keep bowl over warm water, and add sugars, whisking until completely combined. Remove to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture, whisking until combined, then add the remaining 2 eggs and vanilla.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture, using a spatula to fold together until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tester comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let brownies cool completely, then lift out of the pan and cut into squares.