After a long summer work day outside, I decided that I needed to treat myself to some chocolate. What better way to do so than by concocting up some brownies that even Oprah gave props to on her website! The thing about these brownies is that you gotta watch them closely when they are about to be done. Like everything you bake, you should be in the kitchen and making sure that nothing gets burnt (remember my post about burning baked goods, #1 on the pet-peeve list!). So grab a book, get all comfy and don’t leave the kitchen until a toothpick comes out of these brownies with a few moist crumbs on it. I guarantee that you will feel much better about taking these over to a friends place to enjoy if they are baked for just the right amount of time. Much like I did a few nights ago to watch the Vancouver Canucks lose to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals! This loss also made the brownies taste much more delicious than usual!

Made from my trusty Baked baking book

Makes one 9X11-inch pan of glory

Ingredients:

1¼ cups           All-purpose flour
1 tsp                   Salt
2 tbsp                Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces        Dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup                 Unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp                  Instant espresso powder
1½ cups          Granulated sugar
½ cup               Packed light brown sugar
5                         Large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp                  Pure vanilla extract

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together and set aside
  • Put the chocolate, 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 and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
  • Add 3 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 overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
  • Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
  • Pour the batter 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 cool completely, and then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.
  • Dust with powdered sugar for presentation or grade some dark chocolate on top and enjoy to your hearts content!