Chewy Brownies

There's a significant percentage of the population that are adamant about the fact that brownies should be as chocolatey and fudgey as possible with a crackly top and crispy edges.  But, there's a whole separate group of people who have equally strong convictions that brownies need to be cake-like and with just enough chocolate to give them a decent brown hue.  And then there are the people who fall somewhere in between the two extremes.  🤷🏻‍♀️  Just out of curiosity - Where are you on the brownie spectrum?  

Even though I probably should have been deterred by the diverseness of the brownie population - I recently took on the task of developing a brownie mix that would please the masses. 😬  It took quite a few trials but once I settled on a brownie mix that I deemed satisfactory, I sent it out to family and friends for feedback. #becarefulwhatyouaskfor 😅  The exact same recipe produced such conflicting reactions that it was less helpful than I had hoped.  "Too chocolatey", "not enough chocolate flavor", "perfectly soft and fudgey", "too dense", "weird texture" and "too crumbly" .  What's a girl to do with all those comments?  

The fact that everyone has a strong opinion about what a brownie should look like, feel like and taste like makes it an almost insurmountable task to make a brownie that would please everyone.   Sure, by adjusting the baking times and temperatures and the type of pan that you use for baking, you can alter the results slightly but that won't solve every brownie issue.  So at the risk of offending discrete chocolate flavor, cake-like brownie lovers across the world - I'm posting my favorite brownie recipe.  Moist, fudgey, ultra chocolatey with crispy edges, soft centers and crackly topped brownies.  

Chewy Brownies
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons oil
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
​2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces dark chocolate

Whisk together cocoa, unsweetened chocolate, espresso and boiling water.  

Whisk in oil and butter. 

Add eggs, yolks and vanilla.  

Whisk in sugar. 

Whisk together flour and salt. 

Fold into batter with rubber scraper. 

Transfer batter to a 9x13" pan fitted with a greased foil sling.  

Top with dark chocolate. 

Bake 30-35 minutes at 350.

Let brownies cool 1 1/2 hours in pan before removing. 

Slice.

One batch of these delicious brownies and you might never buy brownie mix from a box again.  I think you'll be surprised at how easy they are to make and with only 1 bowl to wash.  (bonus)  Not to mention the fact that these are the most delicious brownies that you'll ever put in your mouth.  

Ciao!

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