The First and The Last Brownie Recipe

There are few times that I think it is worth making brownies from scratch. That is until I made this recipe. Now I'm pretty sure that it is always, always, always worth making brownies from scratch.

These aren't going to be a "oh, I forgot that I need to bring something to a dinner party in 4 hours" kind of recipe for brownies. These are a "I love my friends and will plan on baking something for them a day in advance of their dinner party" kind of treat.

Also taken from my baking weekend with Sarabeth's Bakery, these are a show stopper. Fudgy and decedent, you will probably just want one of these. Or maybe even just one half of one. And don't forget milk. You are going to need something to cut through the intense chocolate flavor.


Sarabeth notes in the cookbook that while brownies are easy to make, pay attention to the details. Her advice to both underbake and then refrigerate the brownies overnight are worth the effort. Her other detail that I failed to do was to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper before you cook the brownies. I thought I was smarter than her. I'm not. Line the bottom of the pan or you won't get these fudgy wonders out of the pan the next day.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (no more than 62% cacao), finely chopped
8 tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, plus more for the pan
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs hot water
3 large eggs, at room temperature (very important - otherwise you won't get the volume you are looking for in the eggs)
1 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (about 8 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Make the brownies at least one day in advance.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9" by 13" rimmed baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Combine the chopped chocolate , butter and 1/3 cup plus 1 tbs hot water in a wide heat proof (I use glass) bowl. Place over the simmering water in the saucepan, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until tepid.

Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer with the whisk attachment until the eggs have tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. Change to the paddle attachment. Add the cooled chocolate and mix on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a moist crumb, about 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Run a knife around the inside of the pan. Place a cutting board over the pan. Invert the pan and board together to unmold the pastry. This is where you are REALLY HAPPY you put a layer of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the upside-down pastry into 12 brownies (they are enormous, feel free to make them smaller). Refrigerate the brownies for up to three days. These will also freeze well if you are making them in advance.

Enjoy!