I’m currently obsessed with finding the “best” of everything. Yesterday I brought you what I believe to be hands-down the best meatloaf ever. I’ve studied the nuances of many chocolate chip cookie recipes to find my favorite texture and flavor, and have yet to come up with a victor. Currently I’m after the best brownie, and for this experiment I put my two year old to work making classic brownies.
Ok, so it wasn’t really like that. My daughter did such a good job eating her dinner at church the other night that by the time she was done the ice cream they had set out was all gone. She was still lamenting about it the next morning so I told her we could make some brownies. I gave her several picture options out of cookbooks and set her to work.
Letting her help with the double boiler action was a little nerve-wracking, but she was very responsible and didn’t touch anything hot. I would definitely not recommend leaving a two year old alone with a double boiler.
I told her she had to take a nap before she could enjoy the fruit of her labor and I don’t think she ever fell asleep so fast. I used a cookie cutter to give her a brownie in the shape of a pig, which I thought was appropriate and she thought was fun.
These brownies are intensely chocolatey and a little fudgy. I enjoyed the texture a little better the next day after having it in the fridge. There’s something really delicious about a chilled brownie. I don’t think this recipe wins my vote for best brownie, but I can see how it might for some people. It isn’t super sweet or thick. I think these would go well with a cup of coffee (I don’t partake) because of how chocolatey they are. I prefer a thicker, sweeter brownie, but would definitely recommend giving these a try if only to have an educated opinion. It’s important to be educated in chocolate.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter,, cut into 5 pieces
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate,, coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate,, coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Put the butter and chopped chocolates in the bowl and stir occasionally until they are just melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
- Add the sugar to the melted mixture and whisk until incorporated. One by one, whisk in the eggs. Add the vanilla and whisk vigorously. Stir in the flour, followed by the walnuts.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack. When cool, lift the brownies out of the pan using the foil and cut into squares.
Papa says
Best Brownies ever were from Arliss :).
Aaisha @BakingPartTime says
Totally agree… brownies are one of those basics that I still haven’t gotten down yet. I prefer mine cakey, leaning towards fudgey. Sort of like box brownies when you add an extra egg. One day!
Best Cookies In New York says
Lots of good information in your posting, I would like to tweet your blog post so I can visit again in the near future.
Lindsay says
Great, thanks!