A Confession

I have a confession to make.  Yesterday, I made brownies from a BOX.  I know!  How could I?! 

We had some weather yesterday, and I was, well, under the weather.  So while the rest of the fam shoveled us out, I whipped up some brunch, including brownies.  I did spruce up the box mix with some chocolate chips though. 

How did they taste?  Well, like brownies from a box.  They lacked the rich chocolaty goodness of my standards, and the texture was a bit puzzling, with the outside crisp and chewy, but the middle gooey and fudgy.  They got us through brunch though, and I didn’t have to feel like such a slacker for not shoveling. 

Truly Outrageous Brownies

The best brownies ever are Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies. They contain pounds of chocolate, and none of it in the form of cocoa powder. If you ever watch the Barefoot Contessa, you could probably guess that they contain plenty of "good" vanilla and coffee, and I really think the coffee makes a big difference. I do find the brownies a bit too sweet, so I cut the sugar slightly. I also melt the chocolate and butter right on the stove, not via double-boiler.

I added walnuts to this batch, but just sprinkled them on top, rather than mixed them in. They got toasty and crisp, and there was no confusion that the brownies contained nuts.

One important thing about Ina's recipe is that it makes a TON of brownies. She calls for an 18" x 13" x 1.5" pan. I have no such pan, nor have I ever seen one. I've used half-sheet pans in the past with mixed success -- sometimes the brownies spill over. Now, I use two 13" x 9" cake pans, and usually add nuts to one and leave the other alone.


Outrageous Brownies Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
• 2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups diced walnut pieces

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 13" x 9" pans, or one 13" x 18" x1 1/2" sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a large saucepan. Cool slightly. Stir in the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Toss 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Divide among the two pans, or put all batter in one larger pan. Top with walnuts.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Store leftovers (ha!) in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.