A good brownie is not easy to find. I’ve had a lot of mediocre brownies in my life. They can be too cakey, too dry, too thin, too sweet, too underdone and the list can go on and on and on. A great brownie, however, can be a bit of an urban legend. Not that many brownies are truly “mmmm…” inducing treats. I actually have quite a list of requirement when it comes to being a properly delicious brownie:
1. Must be fudgy. It has to have that element of goo in the middle. That squidgy, almost underbaked (but not) center that creates a chocolate fudge layer between the more cooked outer layers.
2. Must have a crisp crust/edges. The perfect brownie always has a contrast in texture. This comes from that crisp crust that forms on the very best brownies during baking. Why fo you think people order those special “all edges” brownie pans? It’s that important.
3. Must be rich in chocolate flavor. I’ve been shocked to have chocolate brownies that are a light brown color or that don’t taste like chocolate. WHAT’S THE POINT??? Using good quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips are majorly important here, as well as a tablespoon of espresso powder, which gives anything a deep, chocolate bite.
4. Must be shared. The best thing about a great brownie? Seeing the reaction on people’s faces when they take a bite. Priceless.
Once you’ve made these brownies, you will never need to look for another recipe. They are that good. How could they be called Best Ever Brownies if they’re not? Do you think I could lie to you? And believe me, I brought these to work and they were devoured happily and greedily. I lost track of how many recipe requests I had! Which got me thinking if I could use these brownies as a base for different combinations of flavor.
I’ve been brainstorming and trying to think of mix-ins for these brownies, but every time I go to try it, I can’t bring myself to mess with the original. If you try it- let me know how it turns out! I want to try raspberries and goats cheese, or a salted caramel swirl, maybe a Turtle brownie? What are your great brownie creations? The possibilities are endless, if only I could try anything other than the OG Best. Ever. Brownie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir flour mixture into the egg mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.
Notes
Recipe from Flick of the Whisk. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.