What makes these brownies so fudgy? About half the amount of flour than you find in typical brownie recipes.

The story goes that experienced baker and pastry chef, Nick Malgieri, only added one cup of flour when he intended to add two while making brownies. Since baking is more of a science than cooking, you’re usually not rewarded for making a mistake. There are exceptions to every rule and in this case, the mistake was rewarded with wonderfully rich and fudgy brownies. 

Nick also adds brown sugar to his brownies which is a tad unusual. Brown sugar contains molasses – dark has more than light. Molasses adds a bit of complexity to the flavor and heightens the chocolate taste. It also adds a bit of liquid making these brownies extra moist.

I add coarse sea salt to anything that I’m baking that contains chocolate as it also enhances the chocolate flavor. I also added some espresso powder to these brownies as it goes well with chocolate too.

As you can see from the photo, I made two batches. One with walnuts in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan and one without walnuts in an 8-inch square baking pan. The walnut brownies are thicker and not because of the addition of the walnuts, it’s all about the surface area of the baking pan. A bit of a math review – a 9 by 13-inch baking dish has a surface area of 117 square inches (cut in half it is 58.5 square inches) while an 8-inch square baking dish has a surface area of 64 square inches. So while most recipes for baking bars (brownies, cookies, etc.) say you can cut a recipe for a 9 by 13-inch baking pan in half (or double an 8-inch square baking pan recipe), it will impact the height of the bars you are baking. I’m done with my geometry refresher.

If you have time, bake these brownies a day in advance. Once cooled, wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight. This allows the flavor to develop and makes the brownies easier to cut. If you don’t have time for this step or just can’t wait to cut into the brownies (I’ll admit, it was hard as my kitchen smelled so good!), you’ll likely see a few more crumbs but they will still taste delicious. 

Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Note: I used King Arthur All-Purpose Flour (non-GMO) for this recipe. Since there’s not much flour, using gluten-free flour, such as Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, would also work well.

Fudgy Brownies

 

Fudgy Brownies
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Recipe type: Dessert
Author:
Serves: 24 brownies
Ingredients
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (see Notes)
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
  2. Add 2 inches of water to a medium pot. Bring water to a simmer over medium-low heat and place a heat proof bowl on top of the pot. Add butter and chocolate to the bowl and stir until melted and smooth. (See Notes)
  3. Remove from the stove and stir in brown sugar and espresso powder until smooth. Make sure there are no brown sugar lumps. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. In a large bowl whisk the granulated sugar and flour together.
  5. Whisk in each egg individually and then whisk in vanilla and salt.
  6. Stir (not whisk) the chocolate mixture into flour mixture until fully incorporated.
  7. Stir in walnuts, if using.
  8. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Brownies are done when the top is shiny and beginning to crack and a toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Transfer pan to a rack to cool.
  11. Once cool, tightly cover in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight (this allows the flavor to develop and makes them easier to cut).
  12. Cut brownies the following day. Serve immediately or store at room temperature for 5 days. Brownies can be frozen for 3 months.
Notes
* I used Guittard’s 70% Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars.
* Alternatively, you can melt the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave on low, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
* Brownies can be cut and served the same day, they just may crumble a bit.
* You can cut this recipe in half and bake in an 8-inch square pan for 30 to 35 minutes. They will be a bit thinner than the full recipe baked in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
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Source:  Variation on recipe from New York Times Cooking