Best Brownies, Bar—😏—None

👩‍🌾yields 12 servings, ~ 3″×3″ / 1.25 USD each

That is if you like ’em chewy, fudgy, and a little cakey. ‘Cause these really teeter the delicious line between chocolate cake and fudge. They’re the perfect ³/₄” tall, and they’re the best!

✅ what you’ll need to have:

⏳ time

• prep: 30 minutes — 25 right away and another 5 to cut later
• bake: 25 minutes
• cool: 2–4 hours (less if utilizing fridge, more if only on counter)
• optional 🧊 freeze: 1 minute per (if wrapping individually) or about 2 hours (if not)

🧾 ingredients

⇓ volume in US cups and spoons; weight in grams

• 1c; 228g salted butter (or un— and ¹/₂tsp table salt, which balances all the flavors)
• 2c; 384g granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1¹/₄c; 120g Dutch processed cocoa powder 🎓Provides richer flavor to desserts than its pre-alkalized form (if using natural, adjust leavener as directed)
• 1¹/₂tsp baking powder 🎓Gives brownies rise in the oven which later settles to create their surface ridges and glorious crumb texture (if using natural cocoa powder, which is more acidic than Dutch, replace with ³/₄tsp baking soda, which is baking powder minus the reactive acidity and neutral buffer)
• 1¹/₂tsp instant coffee powder (or 1tbs instant coffee granules) 🎓Enhances chocolatey-ness
• 1tbs; 12g vanilla extract (ok to omit or replace with ¹/₂ that amount of a moderately intense extract, like orange or coconut, or ¹/₄ amount of something stronger like peppermint extract)
• 1¹/₂c; 180g all purpose flour
• 1c; 112g semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1c; 129g chopped walnuts (omit if you want to, no need to modify anything else to compensate)

🔌 equipment

• conventional or convection oven
• stand mixer (or large mixing bowl, utensil to scrape it with, and hand mixer or just a spoonula)
• scraper paddle attachment (or standard paddle attachment and separate utensil to scrape)
• 9″×13″ pan
• quart+ saucepan or microwave safe bowl and coordinating heat source (see step 5) 🎓Starting to caramelize sugar before baking helps structure brownies’ requisite crackly top layer
• oven mitt
• cooling rack
• sharp spatula for cutting/serving
• tray for serving same day and/or airtight container for longer storage
• 🧊 if freezing,
  • sturdy platform on which they can individually harden or aluminum foil to wrap each
  • label/s (I use permanent marker and Kraft tape)

📄 what you’ll need to do:

1. Prepare your mise en place – I make this recipe A LOT. When I skip this step, something inevitably goes wrong. Sometimes I crystalize the sugar; sometimes I overmix the egg step while gathering flour, chocolate, and nuts. Please learn from my mistakes and give yourself the best chance to be proud of your results.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F
3. Mix together eggs, cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee powder, and extract JUST until combined
4. Use some of the butter to grease pan (I grip the open wrapper and rub stick/brick all over inside)
5. Melt remaining butter with sugar one of the following two ways:
   • Microwave: put both in bowl and stir after 30 second bursts until homogenous (~2min)
   • stove/hotplate: melt butter on med-low until there’s a layer coating the bottom of the pan then add sugar and stir frequently until mostly dissolved (~5min) ⚠️If the sugar has a chance to crystalize, your brownies will have crunchy bits in them
6. Slowly pour hot sugar-butter down side of egg bowl while mixing on low speed. This will blend the heat into eggs without scrambling them. If the should-be-hot mixture isn’t, the batter and brownies will be mealy. Make sure everything is scraped together and the batter is smooth. Then stop! ⚠️Over mixing causes brownies to be less tender
7. Dump in flour. Top with chocolate and nuts. 🎓This order coats the mix-ins which helps evenly distribute them. Fold until flour is one or two passes from disappearing.
8. Transfer into greased pan and flatten into an even layer. Man, that smells amazing! It’s the little things.
9. Bake until risen and crackly, about 25 minutes—when you gently press the top, it should give easily but firmly under the length of your finger and then partially spring back
10. Chill on rack at room temperature for an hour and refrigerate for another hour OR cool on counter four hours (just so they set up and cut neatly; if you scoop at the pan before they cool, you will very much enjoy your awesome, gooey brownie/s) – the top should settle into itself patterned with beautifully delicate ridges within 20 minutes
11. Cut into bars. Store/enjoy!

✨gratitude to {King Arthur Flour} for sharing their research✨