Gooey Fudgy Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (To be browned)
• 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 4 oz dark or semisweet chocolate (60% cacao) (Finely chopped)
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder (Or 1 Tbsp instant coffee)
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 0.5 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1 cup additional chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (Optional; use this or 1–2 cups chopped walnuts, dried cherries, etc.)
• chopped walnuts (Optional alternative to additional chocolate; source suggests 1–2 cups)
• dried cherries (Optional alternative to additional chocolate; source suggests 1–2 cups)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9 × 13-inch pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving overhangs so the brownies can be lifted out easily.

2. 2

   Place the cocoa powder, finely chopped chocolate, and espresso powder in a heatproof bowl.

3. 3

   Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it foams and begins spitting, stir and scrape the bottom with a spatula every 10–15 seconds. Continue for about 5–10 minutes, watching for the milk solids to turn brown and smell nutty; remove the pan from the heat as soon as they brown so they do not burn.

4. 4

   Immediately pour the hot browned butter into the bowl with the cocoa, chocolate, and espresso powder. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool.

5. 5

   Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs on medium-high until thick, smooth, fluffy, and lighter in color. For very moist, rich brownies, whip for 4–5 minutes; for more height and fluff, whip for 8–10 minutes until very thick and pale. The author recommends starting with 4–5 minutes.

6. 6

   Reduce the mixer speed to low. Slowly pour in the chocolate-butter mixture and mix until incorporated.

7. 7

   Using a spatula, fold in the flour and salt just until incorporated. The batter will be very thick.

8. 8

   If using an optional addition, fold in the additional chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, or chopped walnuts, dried cherries, or another suggested add-in.

9. 9

   Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.

10. 10

    Bake for 25 minutes, until the surface is glossy and just set, with no jiggle in the center. Do not overbake; the brownies will finish cooking as they cool.

11. 11

    Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before lifting them out and slicing.

Notes

For a butter alternative, melt the butter in a saucepan with the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth, then pour the mixture over the cocoa powder and espresso powder and stir until smooth. For extra-thick brownies, use an 8 × 8-inch pan; the bake time will be somewhat longer. The source does not give a specific longer bake time.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• baked
• brownies
• chocolate
• vegetarian