I honestly don’t know how I went the entirety of 2016 without posting a brownie recipe. It’s 2017 now and I mean business, so that’s exactly what I’m about to do. Brownies are simply incredible. Chocolatey, cakey, gooey, fudgey, warmy, richy incredible. Not gonna lie, I will always get down on some boxed brownies too. I have zero brownie shame. Still though, I’d prefer to make my own. I like brownies that lean a little to the fudge side of the fudge/cake aisle, but that still hold some cake-like structure. I also like brownies that are seriously rich and decadent. That’s the whole point. So the recipe I’m presenting to you today is just that – a rich, luxury AF, slightly fudgey and seriously chocolatey brownie. 2017 is looking up.
recipe notes
step-by-step method
recipe card
There’s no secret where the brownie came from and how. In Chicago during the late 1800’s, Bertha Palmer, the wife of the owner of The Palmer House Hotel, asked the pastry chef to make something special for her for the World’s Columbian Exposition. The kitchen came up with what would later be dubbed the brownie, and a legend was born.
Maybe it’s because I work in a kitchen myself, but in my opinion it’s totally ridiculous that everyone knows it was Bertha Palmer who made the fateful request, but no one knows the name of the chef or chefs that actually created the first brownie. All Bertha did was ask for dessert, and I don’t see how that is special enough to remember. But I digress.
Other than for cocktail party small talk and pub trivia ammunition, I don’t care where the brownie came from. I just know that brownies are awesome and delicious and perfectly ok to eat for breakfast, so let’s make the damn things already.
recipe notes
I call for cocoa paste in this recipe, which is 100% unsweetened chocolate, sometimes called baking or unsweetened chocolate, and easily found in grocery stores.
I like to melt the chocolates and butter together over a double boiler because of the indirect heat and the fact that I don’t have to babysit it much, but you can use a microwave if you’d like. If using a microwave, melt each ingredient separately and combine, since each will melt at a different rate and the microwave may burn one ingredient while just starting to melt another.
When it comes to baking brownies, I like the ol’ double sheet pan + non-stick baking mat + frame method but you can easily use a baking pan too. In fact, I used one for this post since most of you will probably have that handy at home. I’m still going to place it on a sheet pan with a non-stick baking mat to add insulation that will keep the brownie bottoms from burning.
Checking to see if the brownies are done, a knife or toothpick should come out almost clean. Once you pull them from the oven, the residual heat will finish baking the brownies and keep them nice and moist. If your knife comes out totally clean, then the brownies tend to over bake slightly and dry out a little.
brownies
yield: 1 half sheet
168g cocoa paste
339g chocolate 58%
453g butter unsalted
391g sugar
391g powdered sugar
18g vanilla extract
405g whole eggs
7g salt
375g pastry flour
75g cocoa powder
6g baking powder
Bring the whole eggs to room temperature before getting started.
You’ll also want to prep your baking pan. I like to coat the bottom and sides of the pan with butter and then a thin layer of flour. This will allow the brownies to easily release from the pan when they’ve cooled.
Combine and sift the pastry flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and reserve.
Combine the cocoa paste, chocolate and butter and melt them over a double boiler.
Combine the whole eggs, sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the mixture to the melted cocoa paste mixture, whisking until combined.
Fold in the sifted dry ingredients and mix until homogenized. At this point you could fold any number of ingredients in to make your brownies extra special. Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, other chips, dried fruit, candy cane pieces…you get the idea.
Check out that sweet ribbon action. Always makes me think of the opening credits of the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Spread the batter evenly over a half sheet pan lined with a non-stick baking mat and a pan extender (or your baking pan).
Bake at 182C/360F for 30-40min. If you’d like to avoid any color on the crust of the brownies, place tinfoil over the sheet pan or baking dish halfway through baking (I didn’t do that with this batch).
Let the brownies cool completely (ideally overnight in the refrigerator) to get the cleanest cut. You can always reheat them for serving because let’s face it, every brownie should be a warm brownie.
- 168 g cocoa paste
- 339 g chocolate, 58%
- 453 g butter unsalted
- 391 g sugar
- 391 g powdered sugar
- 18 g vanilla extract
- 405 g whole eggs
- 7 g salt
- 375 g pastry flour
- 75 g cocoa powder
- 6 g baking powder
- Bring the whole eggs to room temperature before getting started. If using a baking pan, coat the bottom and sides of the pan with butter, and then a thin layer of flour.
- Combine and sift the dry ingredients and reserve.
- Combine the cocoa paste, chocolate and butter and melt them over a double boiler.
- Combine the whole eggs, sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the mixture to the melted cocoa paste mixture, whisking until combined.
- Fold in the sifted dry ingredients.
- Spread the batter evenly over a half sheet pan lined with a non-stick baking mat and a pan extender.
- Bake at 176C/350F for 35min. or until a knife comes out of the brownies nearly clean.
“…luxury AF, …..” What does the AF stand for?
Haha great question Chuck. An abbreviation for “as f*ck.” So basically, super luxurious! I’ve never been known for a clean mouth!
Where did you purchase the cocoa paste?
Hi Cinthya,
I just bought mine at the grocery store. This was the brand I used: baker’s unsweetened chocolate
Cheers – Chef Scott
Thanks Chef! Looking forward to making them for my kids!
Hey chef ,sometimes some brownie surface is kind of shinny and has a good crackle,any particular reason for that?thanks
Hi Stephani,
That’s a good observation, and there is definitely a reason for the shiny crackely surface. The finer the sugar you use in the batter, the better it dissolves into some of the water in the recipe and creates a syrup. That syrup is responsible for the shiny surface. In my recipe I use half powdered and half table sugar. The powdered sugar, being very fine, is what creates the syrup to give my brownies a little shine. If I used all powdered sugar it would be shinier and if I used all table sugar it would be a little duller. I chose to use a combination of the sugars because the table sugar helps to give the brownie some texture and prevent gluten development that would make the brownie tough. Thanks for leaving a comment, and I hope that helps answer your question!
Cheers – Chef Scott
I made these brownies yesterday and took them to my parents for dinner (well, the brownies weren’t dinner–not that I think there’s anything wrong with brownies for dinner–bolognese was dinner). Anyway, they loved them! I overbaked them just a little, but they still thought they were great, and my mom wants the recipe. I look forward each Saturday to your post. Thank you!
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for your comment, I love hearing about recipes being made! If there’s ever a recipe that you (or your mom) might want to see, don’t hesitate to ask!
Cheers – Chef Scott
Great stuff chef! Love the work and intentions.
Thank you sir! Good luck to you and the team in Lyon!
Salve chef posso sapere la misura della teglia in cm o inches…grazie e tanti complimenti!
Raffaella
Ciao Raffaella,
La padella che uso è 9x13x2in (22,8 centimetri x 33 centimetri x 5cm).
Cheers – Chef Scott
Hi chef
can i use cocoa powder instead of cocoa paste?would that make any difference?
Hi Arshia,
Using cocoa powder in substitution for cocoa paste will definitely make a difference. Cocoa powder is very hygroscopic (meaning it absorbs water), so adding too much will dry the product out. Cocoa paste is really just baker’s chocolate, which is pretty common in most grocery stores. But if you can’t find it, you could try using a dark chocolate (70% or higher. the darker the better) instead.
Cheers – Chef Scott
Holy heart palpitations, Batman, that’s one bad ass brownie recipe! I scaled everything out and baked it off at 350*F in a 9X13 pan. My oven is fairly accurate, but still it took a good hour for the cake to test done. Good trick that the ol’ double sheet pan method. New one to me – thanks!
Hi chef!! Finally made this brownie today and I am so in love with it. Also today i understood how important the measurements are in baking
Hi Arshia,
That’s awesome! I’m really glad you liked it! And understanding the importance of accurate measuring is the the key to starting to really bake better. You’re on your way!
Cheers – Chef Scott