Today’s Perfect Brownies

• July 03, 2012  |
• by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

I am always in search of the perfect brownie, but as I write this I realize I won’t ever find it. I might find the perfect one for today, but tomorrow, today’s won’t do. Tomorrow I will want a completely different kind. So I am happily content with a world that supplies me with new possibilities every day. Today I wanted a buttery, dark as night, dense one with notes of caramel and crunchy walnuts. So I made it, and I share the recipe with you, hoping it is exactly what you are in the mood for as well. (Btw, I am never in the mood for a cakey one… they confuse me.)

You Need

2 sticks of salted butter (16 tablespoons)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (the best chocolate makes the best brownies) chopped into little bits (cook’s tip: use a bread knife to cut chocolate)
1 ½-cups firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
4 eggs, gently whisked
2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Garnish:
½ teaspoon fleur du sel (optional)
1 cup walnuts, toasted (optional)

To Make

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.

In a medium sized pot, melt the butter, then simmer it until it darkens and becomes caramel colored. Take the pot off the stove and let the butter cool for a moment so it is no longer simmering, then fold in the chocolate, it should melt completely as you stir.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a nice big bowl, fold in the sugars to cool the mixture, then the remaining ingredients. Pour into the baking pan, sprinkle with the salt and walnuts, then bake for 30 minutes or until the brownie is moist but set in the center (do not ever over bake). If you can possibly wait, wrap the pan and let it sit in the fridge overnight, the brownies will be easier to cut and the flavors will have gotten to know each other even better.