Thick Cocoa Brownies

• doses: 16 servings
• tempo ativo: 20 minutes
• tempo total: 50 minutes

Ingredientes

¾ cup (63g) cocoa powder (I prefer this Dutch cocoa or this one)

¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar

¾ cup plus 1 tbsp (185g) salted butter (cold is fine), (divided)

3 large eggs (at room temperature)

½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar

⅔ cup (135g) granulated sugar

1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract

¾ cup (105g) all-purpose flour

heaped ¼ teaspoon salt (or a heaped ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

Instruções

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang at all sides.

Place cocoa powder, powdered sugar and 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (70g) of butter in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Brown the butter. Place remaining 1/2 cup of the butter in a saucepan and follow the instructions in this post here to learn how to brown butter. It’s easy! Brown specks and a dense golden foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready.

Pour hot brown butter into the bowl with the cocoa, powdered sugar and cold butter and whisk until the mixture is smooth. The heat will melt the rest of the butter and also melt some powdered sugar to encourage the formation of a shiny top on the baked brownies.

Place eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and mix for 30 seconds on medium speed using an electric handheld mixer. Gradually stream in granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until creamy and pale yellow.

When the eggs are pale and thick, add the still-warm cocoa mixture and mix it in until smooth and glossy. The batter should tighten up and that’s how you know the fat is emulsified. Sift the flour over the batter and sprinkle in the salt, then fold it in until evenly combined. It should be smooth and glossy, like thick hot fudge.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and use a small offset spatula to smooth out the surface. Tap the pan on the counter to bring any large air bubbles to the surface, then run the spatula over the top to pop them. Bake for 25-30 minutes* or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist sticky crumbs attached. Make sure you do not over-bake these or they will be dry. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let brownies cool completely in the pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before lifting out and cutting into squares.