THE Baked Brownie

I found this recipe at Smells Like Home. I made a few mistakes when making this, not the least of which was not having as much dark chocolate as the recipe called for. Despite this, these brownies are really good, and I will definitely make them again. I think they are a bit cakier/drier than they would be if I had all the chocolate I was supposed to. I used Ghirardelli cocoa powder and I added some peanut butter and chocolate chips.

source: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Baked Note: A great brownie is easy to make, but you have to be aware of several factors. (1) Use a dark unsweetened cocoa powder like Valrhona. A pale, light-colored cocoa does not have enough depth. (2) Make sure your eggs are room temperature, and do not overbeat them into the batter. (3) Check your brownies often as they bake. An even slightly overbaked brownie is not a Baked Brownie.

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
11 ounces quality dark chocolate (60-72%), chopped coarsely
8 ounces butter (2 sticks), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9×13x2 pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.

3. Put the chocolate, the butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add the sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

4. Add three eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cook completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Yields 24 brownies.