Seriously Fudgy Brownies

I made these brownies totally on a whim. I had just returned home from a long run and saw that my wife had dropped off the groceries before going for a walk with the critter. She was going to meet up with some friends later and had a box mix to make brownies out on the counter. Knowing that we had all of the necessary brownie ingredients and my wife’s proclivity for fudgy brownies, I decided to make a batch of these brownies instead of the box mix.

I only deviated from the recipe twice, once accidentally and once on purpose. I failed to notice that only half the chocolate is melted with the butter. I melted all of the chocolate, so the brownies I baked are potentially less fudgy than otherwise. I made a note in the ingredients that the chocolate is to be divided. My wife also loves it when I salt cookies/bars, so I sprinkled a little bit of sea salt on top of the brownies, but this is completely optional.

I forgot to take any pictures of these brownies, but they were very good. I will definitely make them again, as they were extremely quick and easy to make with ingredients that I typically have on hand anyway. So, next time I’ll take a picture and edit this post!

SERIOUSLY FUDGY BROWNIES
Based on this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup unsalted butter
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bar, coarsely chopped and divided
1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (95 g) cocoa powder (unsweetened natural, dutch-processed, or both)
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt (plus more to sprinkle on top)
1 1/4 cups (225 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line and grease a 9″ x 13″ pan with aluminum foil (leaving overhang) and butter.
  2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and half of the chocolate. Melt in 30 second increments, whisking after each, until melted and smooth (took three cycles).
  3. Whisk in the sugars until combined, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
  4. Fold in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, remaining chopped chocolate, and chocolate chips.
  5. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, then sprinkle sea salt over top as desired.
  6. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center has a few moist crumbs.
  7. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.