Brownies of course are one of those topics that cleave the population along multiple dimensions. Cakey or fudgy? Love the middle or the edges? Celtics or Lakers? For me, I like more of a cakey brownie, but it has to be very moist and dense cake. And the Celtics.
The outline of this recipe has a long lineage. I learned about it from Ina Garten, who in turn adapted it from William Morrow's SoHo Charcuterie Cookbook. I omit the walnuts, double the salt, upgrade the chocolate, and simplify the steps to use one less bowl. I also sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over the top of the batter instead of mixing them in, which gives you these incredible creamy-chocolate rivers on the surface.
Instead of instant coffee, I use instant espresso. I've always been loyal to the Medaglia D'Oro brand, which I used to drink 20 years ago at 4 AM, sneaking off between the first two sessions of meditation practice, when there wasn't enough time to make a real pot. Now it wouldn’t be my first choice to drink, but it tastes pretty great in baked goods. Another great option is 2 packets of Starbucks’ Via instant coffee (decaf or regular).
Spectacular Chocolate-Espresso Brownies
Makes 10 large or 18 medium brownies
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 12 ounces (1 bag) Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided approximately in half
- 4 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped (Scharffen-Berger is awesome for this)
- 4 large eggs
- 5 teaspoons instant espresso (Medaglia D'Oro is good, or use 2 packets of Starbucks Via instant coffee)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 13x9 pan, at least 1" deep.
- Melt the butter, half of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler or microwave (being careful to stir occasionally), then allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the eggs, instant espresso, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the chocolate mixture, drizzling in slowly so you don't cook the eggs.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. If any of the salt doesn't go through the sieve, add it in and stir. Add to the chocolate mixture and mix but don't over-beat.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Evenly distribute the remaining half of the chocolate chips over the surface.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Give the pan a rap to force out bubbles. Bake for 5-10 minutes more, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake! Allow to cool slightly before serving.
