Brownies for a Brownie Addict

By Jilly Inspired • January 16, 2013 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: I think these brownies are the perfect combination of fudgy and cakey. Intensely chocolaty, moist and not too sweet. Pure dark chocolate bliss. I scoured the Internet to find this wonderful brownie recipe from the Joy of Baking. Here's the link for the original recipe: http://www.joyofbaking.com/brownies.html I tweaked it a little bit, adding more full fat Dutch process cocoa powder. Two kinds of sea salt, both coarse and fine, are used in the recipe, both in the batter and on top of the brownies as they cook. The sea salt enhances the dark chocolate flavor. I use the richest grade of cocoa available, perfect for brownies. http://jillyinspired.blogspot.com/
- Jilly Inspired

Makes 1 pan

5 ounces best quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
1 cup vanilla sugar or regular white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 teaspoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinches coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the center. Spray with nonstick cooking spray, butter or oil an 8 inch square baking pan and place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of it. Oil, butter or spray the parchment paper too.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave being careful not to burn the chocolate. Stop and stir it as it melts. It will take seconds to melt. Maybe a minute at most. When the chocolate and butter are melted, stir in the cocoa powder and sugar. Add the eggs, one and a time and incorporate them into the batter. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour and fine sea salt and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly add a scant sprinkling of the coarse grain sea salt. Bake for about another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little bit of batter or moist crumbs on it. Do not over bake or your brownies will be dry (very important). Remove from the oven and immediately add another sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions: Warmed in the microwave, they're divine, leading to my downfall into brownie-breakfast-obsession this past week. They take on a more fudgy texture when chilled. They're also great with ice cream. They freeze well, making them a good choice for company. A warm-brownie-ala-mode with a drizzle of chocolate sauce has a real wow factor. The sea salt will enhance the ice cream's flavor too. Brownies with fresh whipped cream and raspberries or sliced strawberries is also a winning combo. A simple platter of brownies, dusted with powdered sugar is a crowd-pleasing dessert.