Crazy Good Brownies

Crazy Good Brownies
Adapted from Food & Wine July 2010

What you need

1 Lb unsalted butter

1.5 Lb chopped semisweet chocolate (equivalent to six 4oz bars)
1 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

6 large eggs

2 1/2 c sugar

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp strong brewed espresso

1 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 c chopped walnuts

1. Melt butter and chopped chocolate over low heat in a double boiler. This takes slightly longer than expected, maybe because I don't have a real double boiler and was improvising with a bowl over simmering hot water. Keep in mind that it's a LOT of butter and chocolate so it should be a LARGE bowl. If you're improvising like me, your bowl should NOT be touching the water but just perched above it. Give it a few stirs to speeden the process. Soft lumps are okay because you will be beating this later.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. You can do this while the chocolate melts.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. You can do this while the chocolate melts, too. You'll have plenty of time.

4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until thick and pale approximately 4 minutes. Add vanilla and espresso, and then add the flour mixture until just incorporated. I was using a handheld mixer which was okay up to this point, but considering the next step, a stand mixer is highly recommended. Also be sure NOT to omit the espresso - it really makes a difference in bringing out a deep chocolate flavor - even if you have to use extra-strong instant coffee.

5. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture. The bowl at this point was super hot so I ladled the mixture. Whether you're pouring straight from the bowl or ladling, it's almost impossible to do this and mix with a handheld at the same time unless you have a trustworthy sous-chef, which probably doesn't apply to my 3-year-old. Of course, I guess if you have a real double boiler with a long heatproof handle, then it might be possible.

6. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. I used the spatula because you need it to scrape the batter in the next step- just one less thing to wash.

7. Scrape into the pan and bake for about 1 hour in a glass/ceramic pan, 50-55 minutes in a dark pan. Bake until tops are shiny and edges beginning to set (moving away from the pan). The center will still feel undone (don't rely on the toothpick test). Cool completely, cut, and enjoy. If you use the toothpick test, your brownies will be overdone (the sides will be burnt). If you don't cool completely, the brownie will fall apart. Cool completely - even after 3 hours, it was a little soft - but after letting it set overnight, it was really fudgy and dense.


I tried using baking mixes - the usual suspects (e.g., Betty Crocker) and even a Ghiradelli Double Chocolate (this one has chocolate chips in the mix) to compare. I mean, is this recipe worth the trouble  -double boiler, ladling chocolate, etc. etc.? The answer is absolutely YES. Although you can add espresso to the box mixes to get a deeper flavor, you can't match the fudginess of this recipe. Nor the size.