James Beard's Brownies

James Beard, the godfather of American cooking, had a brownie recipe and this is it. The thing that makes it weird and wonderful: there’s no granulated sugar and no added butter or oil. One cup of maple syrup carries all the sweetness, and the fat comes entirely from melted semi-sweet chocolate. Seven ingredients, one bowl, mixed in ten minutes.

The maple syrup isn’t just a sugar swap. It brings its own caramel character and keeps the brownies moist for days without drying out. The acidity of the syrup also tenderizes the gluten in a way granulated sugar doesn’t.

Four ounces of semi-sweet chocolate sounds modest, but it’s what Beard wanted: brownies that taste like chocolate, not like fudge. They come out cake-y on the sides and dense in the middle, the way restaurant brownies used to be before the gooey-gooier-gooiest arms race took over.

The directions end with a screaming all-caps DO NOT OVERBAKE, which should tell you everything about the stakes. Thirty minutes at 325°F (160°C) is the target. The center should look just set, not firm.

Chef Tips

• Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. The flavor is the whole point and corn syrup-based imitations don’t taste right.
• Melt the chocolate gently in a double boiler or in 30-second microwave bursts. Scorched chocolate is bitter and unfixable.
• Toast the walnuts for 6 to 8 minutes first for deeper flavor.
• Pull at the 28-minute mark for fudgier centers. The brownies firm up as they cool.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans or omit nuts entirely for a smoother bar.
• Stir in a half cup of chocolate chips with the walnuts for extra chocolate hits.
• Use bittersweet chocolate (60-70%) instead of semi-sweet for a more grown-up bittersweet edge.