…you know, went to Heaven. The first time I saw these brownies was on Patricia’s blog, when we were going through a heatwave that could best be described as flattening. The mercury bumped over 100 degrees for nearly seven days in a row, and worse, it was humid! Southern California is almost never humid. Hot, yes. But humid? Only along the coast, and it’s bearable there because of the ocean breezes. So I bookmarked Patricia’s post and begged the weather fairies to bring me cooler temps so that I could make these brownies.
Well, my pleas for milder weather were answered. Actually, a good chunk of July has been really pleasant here in Southern California; cool and overcast in the mornings, sunny and breezy in the afternoons, and very cool again in the evenings. I’m wearing sweaters at night! Perfect conditions for churning out a batch of seriously rich-n-tasty brownies. A bite into these and yo. Fuggedaboutit.
I gave this batch minus half of one square to my neighbors. If I didn’t, I’d never get rid of the baby weight. And Thank Goodness for great neighbors. They still exist!
I first saw this recipe on Patricia’s blog, which she in turn found at Chuck’s blog. The original recipe is from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate, which, by the way, is one badass chocolate book.
Best cocoa brownies
10 tablespoons (140g/1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter
1 ¼ (250g) cups sugar
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cold large eggs
½ cup (70g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (74g) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
Directions:
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm (8in) square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Butter the foil.
2. In a medium heatproof bowl, add the butter and set on top of a large sauce pan with barely simmering water. Melt the butter, then add sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. Next add the cocoa powder and stir until mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
5. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Why did you have to do this to me. Me personally.
What a photo!
Your brownies look so good. Lucky neighbors. Awesome photo, too.
Paz
i don’t think i’ve made cocoa brownies from scratch since childhood. (now that i think about, most of my baking career was back then.) these look great. will have to try them out sometime. maybe late Fall…when i’m ready to hibernate inside wearing a sweater.
Not only do these sound really good, and look really good, but they’re the perfect answer to the problem of having no chocolate in the cupboard when you have to make brownies. We always have cocoa powder. But people sometimes find the chocolate and eat it before it can be turned into brownies. Thank you!!!!
I’m so glad you gave that recipe a try – and liked the brownies, sweetie! They look so good – I wish I had some around right now.
I am so in love with Alice Medrich’s recipes that I bought two of her books – just waiting for Amazon to deliver them.
Thank you for mentioning TK – it’s such an honor to me!
xoxo
Hi Everybody! I’m a bit late in responding – sorry! But yes, these brownies ARE so yummy.
And Patricia, Alice Medrich has written several great books, so you’re going to have fun with them. She’s a chocolate goddess!