The Perfect Brownies

Okay, okay, these brownies might not be perfect for everyone. But I’ve been searching for a basic brownie recipe to be my go-to, and this is the one. If, like me, you want your brownies to be rich, dense, super chocolate-y, and so fudgy that they’re best stored in the refrigerator, then these are the brownies for you. Of course, you can easily tweak the recipe to your liking. Because there’s only a little bit of flour in these, I think it could be swapped for cocoa powder for a gluten-free dessert with even more intense chocolate flavor. These brownies would also do well with mix-ins, and although I know this is sacrilegious to many brownie lovers, I think nuts would actually provide a great contrast to the richness of the brownies. Personally, I put my twist on the recipe by adding a sprinkle of fleur de sel on top – I find it adds extra depth to the chocolate.

The Perfect Brownies (adapted from David Lebovitz)
Yield: 9 – 12 brownies

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate*
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup nuts of choice, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
• fleur de sel (optional)

*Chopped or in chips/chunks, please.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ pan with foil or parchment paper, then lightly butter.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt 6 Tbsp butter.
3. Add 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, and stir until melted and smooth.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
5. One at a time, beat in 2 eggs, at room temperature.
6. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp salt, and stir energetically for one full minute, until the batter loses its graininess, becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
7. Stir in 1 cup nuts of choice, toasted and coarsely chopped, if using.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with fleur de sel, if using.
9. Bake until the center feels almost set, about 30 minutes. (Do not use a toothpick to test as the fudgy nature of these brownies means it will never come out clean.) While waiting, pass the time on sites like 온카.
10. Remove from oven, and let the brownies cool entirely in the pan, about 2 hours. Lift the foil or parchment paper to remove the brownies, and then cut into squares.