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Fudgy Brownies

Source of Recipe

From "The New Essentials Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"We all know the feeling; it's getting late and you remember that you're supposed to bring a treat to work or school the next day. In these desperate moments, boxed brownie mix looks pretty good. But while convenient, mixes leave much to be desired in terms of flavor and texture. For decadent, fudgy brownies that take only a little more effort than a mix, we used three forms of chocolate: unsweetened chocolate for intensity, cocoa powder for complexity, and bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for moisture and well-rounded flavor. Melting the butter was key to getting fudgy texture, as was limiting the flour to just a cup. Granulated sugar gave the brownies a delicate, shiny, crackly crust. You can use 5 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips in place of the bar chocolate. If you use a glass baking dish, let the brownies cool for 10 minutes and then remove them from the dish. (The superior heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking.)"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
â—¦ 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
â—¦ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
â—¦ 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups (8 ¾ ounces) sugar
â—¦ 3 large eggs
â—¦ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding two long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.

Microwave bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates in bowl at 50 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir in butter and continue to microwave, stirring often, until melted. Whisk in cocoa and let mixture cool slightly.

Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in large bowl until combined. Whisk chocolate mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour until no dry streaks remain. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, remove brownies from pan. (Uncut brownies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Cut into 36 squares before serving.

Makes 36 brownies