Fudgy Brownies

My brownie recipe was one of the most challenging recipes to get just right. One recipe I attempted was too cakey and dry, while another had the consistency of chocolate soup! It took a lot of trial and error for me to achieve my version of the perfect brownie: fudgy, but solid enough to hold without it falling apart in your hands. It’s tough for me not to devour the entire pan in one sitting.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup water

¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. espresso powder

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt for topping, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use parchment paper to line an 8x8 baking pan. Leave enough parchment paper hanging over the edges (about 2 inches). This will make it easier to remove the brownies after baking.

Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, microwaving in 30 second increments. After every 30 seconds, remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. Repeat until chocolate and butter are melted - this takes about 90 seconds. Set bowl aside to cool slightly.

With a hand or stand mixer on medium, combine eggs, both sugars, and water. Beat for about 10 minutes so that the sugars can dissolve. The volume of the mixture will increase and turn a paler color.

With the mixer turned back down to low, Slowly pour in butter/chocolate mixture. Turn back up to medium to fully combine. Once combined, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. This can be done with a sifter, whisk, or fork.

With a silicone spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop brownie mixture into pan. The batter will be thick, so I use a knife to spread it to the edges of the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Let brownies rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!). Lift brownies out of the pan with the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board to cool for an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Top with flaky sea salt. Cut into squares.

Makes 9 large brownies, or 16 smaller ones.

Enjoy!