We love brownies at our house, but they have to be chewy brownies. Box brownies are ok....but most of the time they come out too cakey (is that even a word? It is now!) and crumbly. That certainly does not pass our bar. Nope we need gooey goodness. :)
The best part about this recipe was that it was not me that found it, it was the hubbs. Go figure that he is not a huge fan of super chocolaty things, but loves brownies. I just don't try to understand it. Anywho, he found this fantastic recipe on America's Test Kitchen's website. For those of you who have never seen the show, it is also fantastic! They have chefs, and food scientists who try to find out the best way to cook everything from pulled pork, decadent deserts and everything in between. They also give great tips on what tools to use. But that is enough of my plug for their show, on to the recipe. I made a few tweaks to it:
I would suggest that you first gather everything you need. It comes together quicker if you lay it all out on a table somewhere before you start.
I find that it is easier to use a scale when baking items. Your baked goods have a much higher chance of coming out right if you measure the ounces of ingredients you need rather than use cups and tablespoons. It's just a personal preference though.
First things first. Mix together the boiling water and coco powder. Mix until the coco is completely dissolved. Then add in your first round of chopped chocolate. The water should still be hot enough to melt the chocolate completely. After that melts, mix in the butter, oil, eggs and egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar. Mix until all of the sugar is dissolved and it looks glossy as seen below. ( It really does not take to long.)
Then we mix in the flour and salt. DON'T OVER MIX IT!!! You see flour has this stuff in it called gluten. Long story short, the more you mix it, the tougher your product will become. That is good in some things but not for our brownies. So just mix it in until there is no more white in your bowl.
Now it's time to prep your pans. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 for all you metric folks out there :) Then line your pan with tinfoil. Make sure you use a good sturdy tinfoil. The thinner it is the more likely it is that it will tear when coming out of the pan. I really like Reynolds Wrap. The size of the pan does not matter so much. If you want thicker brownies use a smaller pan :)
Pour in the batter!
And now chop up six ounces of your favorite type of chocolate! I always enjoy a good toffee crunch in my brownies, so I went with the Hershey's Nuggets. Really any type of milk or white chocolate would work. I am sure you could even experiment with candy bars. Hmm sounds promising. Anywho, chop it up and toss it on top of the batter in the pans. No mixing it in now! Just toss it on and put in that oven.
Cook your brownies at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If you used a larger pan, take it out at the 30 minute mark. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out with no batter on it, let them cool. IMPORTANT - let them cool for 10 minutes, remove them from the pan and then let them cool on a rack for AT LEAST an hour and a half! If you try to eat them too soon they will be too gooey. The brownies retain some heat and continue to cook even after being removed from the oven. This same thing happens with meat. Have you ever cooked a piece of chicken to perfection in the pan, but then wondered why it was dry when you went to eat it later? Now you know.
Lastly, enjoy your brownies!
Ingredient List -
1/3 cup dutch processed cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
2 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp veggie oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks (Mmm save the whites and throw them in omlets!)
2 teaspons vanilla
2 1/2 cu sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspons table salt
6 oz your favorite type of chocolate
