Deep Dark Brownies
Yield: 9 brownies
The great brownie debate never ends: Cakey vs. fudgy. In our attempts to lure fans on both sides of the spectrum, we enlisted Lesli Heffler to bake a "happy medium" brownie for our store. Her brownie is neither light as air nor fudgy and underbaked; it is somewhere blissfully in between. Our customers are delighted.
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon instant espresso coffee
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
Sift the flour, salt and cocoa powder together into a bowl; set aside.
In a medium-large, heavy saucepan, combine butter and espresso and stir over low-heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate to heat, stirring constantly until mixture appears completely smooth, approximately 2 minutes.
Take chocolate mixture off heat and add the sugars, mixing until combined.
Add eggs and vanilla and continue stirring until evenly incorporated and mixture does not appear grainy.
Sprinkle the sifted flour over the mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the chips if using.
Pour batter into greased pan and smooth top. Bake brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not over bake. Cool completely on a wire rack.
NOTE: If you are using a dark-colored baking pan, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
VARIATION:
For something different, try these in the summer.
Lime Brownies
Follow above recipe but note:
Omit espresso powder and instead add juice (strained) and zest of 1 lime. Increase amount of all-purpose flour in the recipe to 1 cup.
Decorate It: Differentiate your Lime Brownies. Decorate the tops of your brownies with a swirl of melted white chocolate colored with green food coloring.
