Email to Cat      

Fudge Brownies

Source of Recipe

From "The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion"


Recipe Introduction

"Fudgy, cakey, fudgy, cakey... can't make up your mind? If you're looking for a brownie that's right in between those two styles, you've found it. These brownies combine a fudge brownie's ultra-moist texture with a subtle cake-like rise, for the best of both worlds."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 large eggs
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups Dutch-process cocoa
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, for enhanced flavor)
â—¦ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 ¼ cups sugar
â—¦ 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups chocolate chips


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder (if using), and vanilla for about 1 minute at medium speed in a mixer or by hand until smooth. You can do this while you're melting your butter (next step).

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110° to 120° F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will help produce a shiny top crust on your brownies.

Add the hot butter-sugar mixture to the egg-cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth. Add the flour and chips, stirring until smooth. Again, adding the chips helps produce a shiny top crust. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.


Makes 24 two-inch brownies