Outrageous Brownies

A little piece of these brownies goes a very long way, they are rich, dense and fudgy, if you are looking for a light, cakey brownie recipe, this is definitely not the one. I have watched Barefoot Contessa make these brownies on food network multiple times, read and drooled over the picture in her book but could not just melt a pound of butter and chocolate as the base of a recipe, then, I scaled down the recipe just to be able to try it. I cut it into 9 squares and that makes a healthy portion for most people. Since you really only taste the chocolate, I really recommend using the very best quality chocolate and fresh walnuts.

The recipe is simple, no need for a mixer, just couple of bowls and a spatula is enough but there I have an important tip, once it’s baked, make sure to cool it to room temperature and then refrigerate it, because although it’s fully cooked, it’s also very soft, you can’t cut once it comes out of the oven. So, cooling to room temperature and refrigerating before cutting is important.

By the way, these brownies freeze beautifully, I froze a few pieces just to experiment and I was really impressed by how fresh they tasted.

Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa Parties

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 10 oz. dark chocolate (I used 70%)
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 extra-large eggs
• ½ tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar (I used 2/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tbsp to toss the chocolate and walnuts
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 oz. chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)

Butter and flour an 8×8 baking dish, set aside, preheat the oven to 350F.

Melt the butter, chocolate and unsweetened chocolate, let it cool to room temperature. In a large bowl mix the eggs, the instant coffee, vanilla and sugar (do not incorporate air into it), pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture and stir to combine, add the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a small bowl toss the walnuts and chocolate with a tablespoon of flour and add to the brownie batter, pour it into the prepared baking pan, smooth the top with a spatula and bake until it’s set and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, remove from the fridge, let it stand at room temperature for half an hour or so and cut into squares.

 Printable Recipe