Perfect Brownies

browniesWe are deep into summer mode at the beach.   We are also in the extended family visit time.  It was our niece’s bday and in all honesty I had no idea.  I knew I had to have the makings for brownies in the pantry.  Brownies would go perfect with the ice cream sundaes planned for dessert and a brownie can hold a candle.

Where to go for the perfect brownie recipe?  Food 52 it always my first go-to search.   When I saw the recipe was from Merrill Stubbs, one of the co-founders of Food52, I knew it would be good.  Then I noticed that Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine, was the originator of this recipe from her book Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen, I knew I was set.  These are seriously killer.

I doubled the recipe (original below) and it worked.  It was a risk (sometimes doubling doesn’t work) but this recipe just called for it.

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), finely chopped
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • large eggs, at room temperature
  • teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Heat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving a 2 -inch overhang on two opposite sides. This will make it easy to remove the brownies once they’re baked.  I used parchment and to double I used a 16X10 baking pan.
  2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk well and set aside.
  3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate and butter in a medium stainless steel bowl and set it over the pan, being sure not to let the bowl touch the water. Stir the butter and chocolate together until they’re completely melted, 3 to 5 minutes.  I just used a large bowl and put it in the microwave at 2 minutes with the power at 50%.  It was perfect.
  4. Remove the bowl from the heat and place it on a kitchen towel to capture any condensation. Whisk in the sugar. Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.   You want the chocolate warm enough that the sugar melts easily.
  5. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture.
  6. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Tap the baking pan on the work surface to release air bubbles. Bake, rotating the baking pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with some fudgy crumbs attached (you don’t want it to come out clean — that means you’ve over cooked your brownies!), 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the brownie to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Might be making these a few times over the summer.

 

 

 

 

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    Waiting for my invite ;)Wondering if I can eat these and drink Pet Nat on a sunny afternoon. Bet I can.

    1. Gotham Gal

      pretty sure you can.plan on making them again today.

  2. Jess Bachman

    As I have gotten older, I’ve been less and less attracted to sweet tastes. I try to keep my sugar intake pretty low, so any recipes like these are overload with just one bite. I wish there were more ‘desert’ recipes that were strong in the umami taste… we’ve got sweet and salty, sweet and bitter, sweet and sour… wheres the sweet and umami?

    1. awaldstein

      In the beverage world savory is the new sweet.I know this cause Lianna in the major forces in making this happen.And blends with fiber are the natural way for you body to handle whatever natural sugars you do intake.

      1. Jess Bachman

        Can’t say I’ve had an savory beverages, except certain beers. Even the blended juices we get up here are jacked up with sugar. You know, maybe Clamato would count as savory, but I just can’t drink that stuff straight up.

        1. awaldstein

          She has one that has only 4 grams of sugar/116 calories in the bottle with an avocado base. Sells like crazy month after month.New one developed as an exclusive for Whole Foods has no sugar added in fruit at all. Made with microgreens and all savory. Flavor comes from Olive Oil and sea salt. An amazing blend and selling exceptionally well.There is a huge backlash against pressed juice and sugar. Gee–we are so NOT sorry to hear that!

  3. Kirsten Lambertsen

    Great picture 🙂 These look killa.

  4. Julia Wilson

    Perfect birthday brownies. Thanks, Joanne!

    1. Gotham Gal

      ❤️