Hello Readers.
You know that day that you can’t get the idea of fudgy delicious super-chocately brownies out of your head? Well, that was me, yesterday.
I guess it was a week of honey cake and other dairy-free desserts, but whatever… I had to make BROWNIES.
Now, I know that a lot of you, dear readers, look to my blog for the convenience of not having to sift through dozens of recipes to find the best ones. Well, here is the definitive brownie recipe, thanks to Ina Garten, who we know, never holds back on the crucial ingredients– in this case, butter and chocolate.
I have tweaked it a tiny bit, using espresso powder instead of instant coffee, increasing the salt a bit, and exchanging pecans for walnuts. So give it a try and let me know what you think.
*note: this makes A TON of brownies
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
1 pound unsalted butter
28 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules, or 2 Tablespoons espresso powder
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
Melt together the butter, one pound of the chips, and the unsweetened
chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee
granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the
egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl,
sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the
cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the nuts and 12 ounces of chips in a
medium bowl with 1/4 cup flour, then add them to the chocolate batter.
Pour into the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf
to force the air to escape from between the pan and dough. Bake for
another 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake!
Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into squares.
It is very important to allow the batter to cool well before adding the chips, or the chips will melt and ruin the brownies.
Do ahead: This recipe can be baked up to a week in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated.