Fudgy Brownies

Recipe by: Robert Steinberg, John Scharffenberger | from Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate

Cookstr

Course: Dessert, Snack

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Moderate

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

Robert developed this recipe, but when the brownies came out of our test kitchen oven, they didn’t have their usual glossy, crackled top and fudgy texture. The cookbook crew asked Robert to make the brownies while they watched. We realized that an electric mixer doesn’t work for this recipe. The batter must be beaten by hand until it pulls from the sides of the bowl. This sounds like a task but it’s not; there’s something homey and satisfying about stirring this thick, glossy batter yourself.

Yield: Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for the pan
8 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup toasted walnut halves

Directions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut an 8 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper. Lightly butter an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan and line it with the parchment, allowing it to extend evenly over the opposite sides. Butter the parchment including the paper on the sides of the pan.

Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.

With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the sugar and salt into the chocolate mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and mix vigorously until the batter is very glossy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Break the nuts into large pieces over the batter and fold them in.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan bottom on the countertop to level the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out moist but clean.

Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan using the parchment “handles,” and cool completely on the rack before cutting into 2-inch squares.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Serving size is 1 brownie.

Calories 187kcal (9%)

Calcium 13mg (1%)

Vitamin C 0mg (0%)

Vitamin A 45mcg RAE (2%)

Potassium 78mg

Magnesium 23mg

Protein 2g

Sugar 19g

Fiber 1g