If you are looking for a rich, decadent and fool proof chocolate brownie recipe that everyone will go crazy over, then look no more! These are exactly what a brownie should be RICH, DECADENT, satisfying and almost FUDGE-like. No dry cake-like brownies here, as long as you don’t overbake them. I can’t overstate this enough. You are better off having SLIGHTLY UNDER BAKED BROWNIES than over baked ones!
What makes these brownies stand out?
These are rich and dense brownies. You will definitely need a cold glass of milk to accompany them. Although some might consider the espresso powder to be optional in this recipe, I strongly suggest you do not skip this very important ingredient. Espresso is one of those ingredients that is used to enhance and really amplify the taste of chocolate and really adds a depth of flavour that makes these brownies so irresistible! Similar to how many sweet desserts call for a pinch of salt. This might seem counterintuitive but the small concentration of salt actually boosts the sweet taste in desserts!
Another thing to note about these brownies is that, although they sit pretty high, they contain no leavening agents. That is no baking soda, no baking powder, ensuring that they don’t turn out cakey at all, just a deliciously chewy brownie.
How do you make these brownies?
First thing you’ll need to do is bring your eggs and butter to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are able to bond and blend together more easily, resulting in a homogenous, smooth batter.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. You then want to line your 9”x13” baking pan with some parchment paper. This will ensure you are able to remove the brownies from the pan without any issues.
Second, you want to pre-chop all your chocolate and butter so it melts easier and evenly. Also, if you won’t be using the espresso powder, go ahead a brew a shot of espresso at this point.
Next, mix your flour, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder (if using) in a medium size bowl.
Place a large metal or heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. In that bowl, melt the chocolate, butter and espresso shot (if not using the espresso powder). Once your chocolate mixture has melted, removed it from the heat and mix in your white and brown sugar.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture in a couple doses. Mixing just until only a little bit of the flour is visible. Make sure you don’t overmix your batter as this will result in cakey brownies.
Pour the batter into the lined baking pan, leveling out the top with your spatula. Bake it on the middle rack, for about 30 minutes. You will want to rotate the pan half way through. Since every oven is different, start checking your brownies at the 25 minutes mark. Bake them until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Again, I will repeat this one more time, you are better off with SLIGHTLY UNDER BAKED brownies than over baked brownies!
Rich and Decadent brownies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
servings30
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
11 ounces coarsely chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
*(see notes for alternative)1-1/2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9″x13″ baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and cocoa powder.
- In a large metal or heat proof bowl put the chopped chocolate, butter and espresso powder and place it over small pot of simmering water. Stirring occasionally until everything is nicely melted and smooth.
- Turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pot. Add the brown and white sugar and mix until combined.
- Add three of the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining two eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla extract until combined.
- Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Do this in a couple of stages until just a little bit of the flour is showing. Ensuring your brownies do not become cakey.
- Pour the batter into the lined baking pan, leveling out the top with your spatula. Bake it on the middle rack, for about 30 minutes. You will want to rotate the pan half way through. Since every oven is different, start checking your brownies at the 25 minutes mark. Bake them until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Once your brownies have cooled. You can lift the whole thing and place it on a flat surface and cut into 24 pieces or smaller bite size pieces. You can store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature. (See note #2)
Recipe Video
Notes
- 1) If you cannot get your hands on instant espresso powder you can replace it with a shot of espresso. If you do this, make sure to a little bit of extra flour to make up for the additional moisture. In this case, I added an additional 1/4 cup of flour for a total of 1-1/2 cup flours.
- 2) These brownies are very moist. You might need to open up the lid of your airtight container for a few hours every day, to allow for air to circulate and to make sure your brownies don’t go bad.