Homemade Goodness Those Chewy Brownies

You know - the ones EVERYONE asks for. This is another recipe that I've been tweaking for literally 20 years. I think it's finally ready for you. The technique I landed on for producing a super-chocolatey taste along with a super-chewy texture is one I'm dying to share.

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water

2 ounces finely chopped unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 stick (4 ounces) butter, melted

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon table salt

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into approx. 1/2-inch pieces

Place the oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and continue to whisk until it has melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil. *That's part of the special technique: melting the chocolate with the butter.

Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla and continue to whisk until very smooth. *That's another part: additional egg yolks and lots of whisking.

Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add in the flour and salt and now use a rubber spatula to combine the dry and wet ingredients. *Here's the final part of the special technique: Fold in the bittersweet chocolate pieces.

Scrape the batter into the sprayed pan and bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Those Chewy Brownies

*Notes:

This recipe uses a metal pan, but if you are using a glass pan, lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
I always add a little espresso powder to chocolate desserts; something I learned from my high school HomeEc teacher. There's just something about the pairing of chocolate and coffee that brings out the best in both of them.
If you want brownies with nuts, just add 1 cup chopped walnuts along with the addition of flour.
Dutch process cocoa has an alkalide added to it to reduce its acidity. The result is a smoother, darker, richer flavor and color. Worth the trouble to use it.
You can frost these, of course.....but they are so good, you won't need to. (Vanilla bean ice cream on top..............now there's an idea!)
How to not "mess up" this recipe:
1. Overbaking is really the only way you can ruin these brownies. Just keep in mind that baked foods continue to bake after they have been removed from the oven - residual heat in the food keeps the baking process going. The center of these will be undone, that's why I test them nearer the edge.

Not all baking cocoa is created equal. On the left is regular Hershey's Baking Cocoa, and on the right is Hershey's Dutch Processed Baking Cocoa. That difference is seen, smelled, and tasted in these brownies.