Holiday Baking Edition: When Chocolate Steals Your Heart

by Bonnie Kao December 30, 2020

~ The Ultimate Brownie Recipe ~

Over the holidays, one of my favourite things to bake is a brownie because you can incorporate a variety of chocolates into the recipe and also include any nuts or fruits, if you wish. In my opinion, a great brownie should have all of these characteristics:

Dense and fudgy but not cakey
Complex flavors with depth to tease your taste buds
A mix of different chocolates to give a better texture and flavor
A combination of sweet and savoury (so you can eat more!)
Extras such as espresso or coffee, salts and vanilla extracts to boost flavor combinations

As a special treat, here is my best version of the ultimate brownie and I hope your family will indulge as much as mine has!

The Ultimate Brownie Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 35-40 minutes

Total time: About 1.5 hours

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ sticks of unsalted butter
6oz of quality 70% cacao dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2oz of quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped
¾ cup of unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of espresso powder
1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar
½ cup of dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
6 large eggs
Course sea salt, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

Grease a 9x13 inch metal pan with softened butter, then line with parchment paper making sure there’s an overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment paper as well.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the middle.
Combine the chopped chocolates, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook over it comes to a simmer (about 5-7mins), stirring occasionally.
Pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 3 minutes. Then whisk until the chocolate is smooth and melted, then set aside.
Combine all the sugars, vanilla extract, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on high speed for about 10 minutes until light and fluffy.
With the mixer on, pour in the chocolate and butter mixture and blend until smooth.
Sift in the flour and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for about 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Using oven mitts, lightly drop the pan on a flat surface a few times until the brownies deflate slightly. Sprinkle on top with course sea salt (to your desired amount).
Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 16-20 minutes (depending on your oven). Test with a wooden pick in the center of the brownies and it should come out fudgy but not wet.
Set the brownies on a cooling rack and let cool completely in the pan.
Use parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Cut and serve on its own or with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Holiday Baking Edition: When Chocolate Steals Your Heart

~ The Ultimate Brownie Recipe ~

Over the holidays, one of my favourite things to bake is a brownie because you can incorporate a variety of chocolates into the recipe and also include any nuts or fruits, if you wish. In my opinion, a great brownie should have all of these characteristics:

Dense and fudgy but not cakey

Complex flavors with depth to tease your taste buds

A mix of different chocolates to give a better texture and flavor

A combination of sweet and savoury (so you can eat more!)

Extras such as espresso or coffee, salts and vanilla extracts to boost flavor combinations

As a special treat, here is my best version of the ultimate brownie and I hope your family will indulge as much as mine has!

The Ultimate Brownie Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 35-40 minutes

Total time: About 1.5 hours

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ sticks of unsalted butter

6oz of quality 70% cacao dark chocolate, roughly chopped

2oz of quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped

¾ cup of unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of espresso powder

1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar

½ cup of dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

6 large eggs

Course sea salt, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

Grease a 9x13 inch metal pan with softened butter, then line with parchment paper making sure there’s an overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment paper as well.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the middle.

Combine the chopped chocolates, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.

Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook over it comes to a simmer (about 5-7mins), stirring occasionally.

Pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 3 minutes. Then whisk until the chocolate is smooth and melted, then set aside.

Combine all the sugars, vanilla extract, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on high speed for about 10 minutes until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on, pour in the chocolate and butter mixture and blend until smooth.

Sift in the flour and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for about 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Using oven mitts, lightly drop the pan on a flat surface a few times until the brownies deflate slightly. Sprinkle on top with course sea salt (to your desired amount).

Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 16-20 minutes (depending on your oven). Test with a wooden pick in the center of the brownies and it should come out fudgy but not wet.

Set the brownies on a cooling rack and let cool completely in the pan.

Use parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Cut and serve on its own or with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Servings: Makes about 24 squares.

I hope your family enjoy this as much as we did. Feel free to share photos of your creations with us!

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