Real Brownies
They are nigh on perfect with a dense, delicious, buttery sweetness that, to me, epitomizes a real brownie. I’ve fiddled with the original recipe (from a pastry chef I worked with in New York) to kick up the chocolate factor with unsweetened cocoa and decrease the yield —the original version made something like 80 brownies. I like my brownies small and thin, so I bake them in a 9- x 12-inch quarter sheet pan rather than a square baking pan. The recipe will also work with thicker brownies baked in a square pan, though you will need to increase the baking time 5 to 10 minutes.
One final note: I am a brownie purist. I dislike nuts in them myself, and I disapprove of adding chocolate chips, marshmallows, frostings, glazes, etc. They are cheating. If a brownie recipe needs extras, then the recipe itself is probably not good enough to start with.
(While I may be a purist, I’m not a tyrant. Feel free to add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of nuts, chocolate chips or whatever else, and frost, drizzle, or adorn to your heart’s content. After all, I’m not eating the brownies. You are.)
melted butter, for greasing pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) butter, cut into pieces
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12-inch quarter sheet pan, a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper as well. Set aside.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter and chocolate in large bowl (over a double boiler or in a microwave set to medium power). Stir until smooth with a rubber spatula. Stir in sugar, then flour mixture. Finally, fold in beaten eggs.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or the tip of a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Cool in pan.
Loosen sides of brownies, then invert onto cutting board, and remove parchment. Cut into squares. Makes 16 large brownies or 32 bite-size brownies
