BEST brownies ever

I’ve been meaning to pass along this recipe for awhile now but it seemed like the right timing with Memorial Day this weekend (knockout picnic treat anyone?) and school coming to an end. Not only are these the BEST brownies, but my youngest daughter has a chocoholic teacher so I’m planning on making a batch of these just for her. And if you’re looking for more ideas to thank your child’s teacher check out these ideas courtesy of Motherboard.

So what makes these so good? Chocolate. I know, that’s obvious, but we’re not talking just cocoa powder here or gobs of flour, the main ingredient in these brownies is the good stuff. And there are layers of chocolate–with the butter, mixed with the flour, the eggs. As with the best desserts–in my sweet tooth opinion–they’re better on day two when they’ve had a chance to densify (that’s a word we’ve invented just for these brownies; they’re airy on day #1, dense with dark chocolate day #2).

I bake these in a parchment-lined pan so I can easily lift them out and make perfect cuts and shapes with the brownies.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate

1 ¼ cups sugar

12 Tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons cocoa powder, Espresso powder, or black onyx powder

½ cup chocolate chips (optional, cuz there’s not enough chocolate already)

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the chocolate, sugar and butter together in a large glass bowl in the microwave, heating it at half power in 1-minute intervals. Cook just until you can stir to combine. Step aside to cool to room temperature.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs together until frothy and all the Espresso powder.
4. In another mixing bowl, mix all of the remaining dry ingredients (baking powder, salt, flour, cocoa) together.
5. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat to combine.
6. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate just until combined. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9×13” baking pan sprayed with cooking oil. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick; when it comes out clean the brownies are done baking.

Optional directions for the perfectly cut brownie:

1. Spray the 9×13” baking pan with spray and then add a sheet of either parchment or wax paper to the bottom of the pan, spray again. Pour the brownie batter onto the paper.
2. Bake as directed above.
3. Let the brownies cool and then place then in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
4. Lift the brownies out of the pan and then remove the pan underneath before placing on a cutting board.
5. Use a sharp knife to remove the outside edges, then cut the brownies into 11/2 to 2” squares.
6. Keep in the fridge for best, most intensely chocolatey results.