PERFECT BROWNIES

There are so many recipes out there that claim to be the *best* — and trust me, I Have have tested a ton of them.

I took the most important learnings from each and combined them with tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way. Here's everything i found out was key to making absolutely perfect brownies.

1. Start with quality chocolate — because it can make a big difference. But you can pick milk chocolate or dark chocolate depending on your taste.

2. To intensify the chocolate flavor, add Dutch processed cocoa powder to the mix. You can use regular cocoa powder as well, but keep in mind that it could affect the texture — making the brownies drier on top and denser at the bottom. Dutch cocoa is rich in color AND flavor and less acidic.

3. You can also add some espresso powder to the mix to enhance the chocolate flavor (If you're worried about the caffeine, try a decaf espresso powder.)

4. Add dark brown sugar instead of light brown to bring in more flavor, because Dark brown sugar has more mollasses, which also means it has a richer flavor.

5. And like with every baked good, don't forget the salt. It may seem counter-intuitive — but salt helps bring out the sweetness.

5. Beat your eggs and sugar for longer than you think you need to — until it looks like a very thick pancake batter. I am talking about 10 minutes of whipping here. This will incorporate a lot of air in the batter and will ensure very tender and fudgy brownies that aren't too dense and flat.

6. Sift the flour and cocoa powder so there are no lumps and you can quickly incorporate them into the wet mixture.You spent so much time beating your eggs and sugar, it'd be a shame to ruin all that hard work by overworking the batter now.

7. After 20 minutes of baking, take the brownies out of the oven and whack them down on your kitchen counter. This will crack the top of the brownies and ultimately even out the interior texture.As you can see, it makes a huge difference in the final product.At this point, you should also sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top of your brownies before putting them back in the oven.This way, the salt won't sink into the batter as it would have before the first half of cooking.

8. After baking for 10 more minutes, take them out of the oven and let them cool down.

They will deflate quite a bit. Don't worry, this will result in an even texture all throughout the brownies and make them extra fudgy.

Then enjoy!

Makes approx  24  brownies

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups (280gms) unsalted butter, plus more, softened, for greasing

8 ounces good-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cacao), roughly chopped

¾ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder,  divided

1 tablespoon espresso powder

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons kosher salt

6 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling 

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13-inch pan with softened butter, then line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment with softened butter.

Combine the chopped chocolate, ¼ cup of cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a heatproof liquid measuring cup or medium bowl and set aside.

Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter just comes to a vigorous simmer, about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Immediately pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted, then set aside.

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. It will be similar to the texture of very thick pancake batter. 

With the mixer on, pour in the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture and blend until smooth. 

Sift in the flour and remaining ½ cup of cocoa powder and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until just combined. 

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until lightly puffed on top, about 20 minutes. 

Remove the baking pan from the oven using oven mitts or kitchen towels, then lightly drop the pan on a flat surface 1-2 times until the brownies deflate slightly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 

Return the pan to the oven and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out fudgy but the edges look cooked through, about 20 minutes more. The center of the brownies will seem under-baked, but the brownies will continue to set as they cool.

Set the brownies on a cooling rack and cool completely in the pan. 

Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Cut into 24 bars and serve immediately.