Chocolate Decadence

Sometimes you just need chocolate. Deep, dark, intense, I don't care how many calories are in it chocolate. It happens to the best of us.  I've given up fighting that desire when it strikes. It's just not worth the battle, since I always lose. So I decided if I'm going to indulge, I'm going to INDULGE. And what's a better chocolate indulgence that a brownie?  I went to one of my favorite websites these days, www.kingarthurflour.com, and while they have several different brownie recipes, I went for the basic and classic - fudge brownies. They did not disappoint.

Before I share the recipe with you - a word about chocolate. This recipe calls for double dutch dark cocoa (sold by King Arthur). If at all possible, do not substitute this item. The double dutch dark cocoa is a combination of dutch process cocoa and and extra dark black cocoa, which makes for a brownie so dark that at first look my husband thought they were burnt. If you just can't wait to get the double dutch dark cocoa, use a high quality dutch process cocoa, not unsweetened cocoa. The difference is in the acidity - dutch process is treated with an alkali to reduce natural acidity - regular unsweetened cocoa is not. That is why recipes using unsweetened cocoa call for baking soda, which when mixed with the acid in the cocoa results in leavening.......this is getting a little too scientific for me........
One more thing - use the espresso powder! It does NOT lend a coffee taste to the brownies, but enhances the chocolate flavor.

 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan   

                                                                                                                    2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

       

3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour, again stirring until smooth. 

6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Makes two dozen 2" brownies.