Super Chocolaty Brownies
Submitted by shadowhawk54
Super chocolaty brownies baked sheet-pan style with a pound each of bittersweet chocolate and butter, eight eggs, and a 24-hour rest before slicing into 2-inch squares.
YIELD
36 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
9 hrsThese brownies are not the small-batch weeknight kind. The recipe calls for a full pound of bittersweet chocolate, a pound of butter, and eight eggs, all baked into a half-sheet pan that yields 36 generous squares. This is a brownie built for a crowd, a bake sale, or a deeply chocolate-craving household.
The bittersweet chocolate is the star. A pound of good-quality chocolate (60 to 70 percent cacao) does the flavor work that lesser brownies try to fake with cocoa powder. Cheap chocolate ruins this recipe; spend the money.
The 24-hour rest after baking is the move that elevates these from good brownies to legendary ones. Wrapping the cooled pan in plastic and letting it sit overnight lets the fat redistribute through the crumb, the chocolate flavor deepen, and the texture firm into something dense and fudge-like. Skip this step and you have decent brownies. Honor it and you have something extraordinary.
Trimming the edges before cutting is a professional pastry-chef move. The outer crust bakes drier than the center; cutting it off ensures every square has the same fudgy interior.
Pro Tips
- Use a double-pan-of-water (not a double boiler) to melt butter and chocolate. The off-heat method prevents the chocolate from seizing.
- Don’t overbake. The top should have a shiny crackled crust and the batter should be moderately firm. Pulling them slightly underdone is the right call. Carryover finishes the bake.
- Cut with a hot knife. Dip the blade in hot water, wipe dry, and press straight down for clean edges. Reheat between cuts.
Variations
- Stir 2 cups of toasted walnuts or pecans into the batter before pouring into the pan.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before baking for a salted-chocolate angle.
- Add 2 tablespoons of espresso powder to the melted chocolate to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Kitchen Tips
- Individual plastic wrap on each square keeps these fresh for a week at room temperature or three months in the freezer.
Ingredients
Directions
One 12 x 18-inch jelly roll pan (commercial half-sheet pan) buttered and lined with buttered parchment or foil.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) F and set a rack in the middle level.
Prepare the pan and set aside.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and turn off heat.
Combine butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over pan of water, stirring occasionally until melted.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl and whisk in salt, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
Stir in chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in flour.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for about 1 hour, until top has formed a shiny crust and batter is moderately firm.
Cool in pan on a rack.
Wrap pan in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or refrigerated until the next day.
To cut brownies, unmold to a cutting board, remove paper and replace with another cutting board.
Turn cake right side up and trim away edges.
Cut brownies into 2-inch squares.
Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in layers between parchment or waxed paper in a tin or plastic container that has a tight-fitting cover.
Store at room temperature or freeze.
Comments
