Dark Chocolate Brownies

Dark Chocolate Brownies - made October 19, 2012, recipe modified from Izzy in the Kitchen

I pinned this recipe and really did intend to make the peanut butter frosting it originally came with.  But when the time came, I was more in the mood for my nutella crunch topping so I made it with that instead.  Click on the recipe title above to go to Izzy's original recipe with the peanut butter frosting if you're more of a peanut butter lover.

The only other thing I did differently was I added a few dollops of dulce de leche to the brownie layer as I still had about 1/2 cup left from the last recipe.  It didn't add much to the brownie and it probably would've been better without it but it didn't hurt it either other than the dulce de leche sank to the bottom and made it a little messier to cut.  But this is a good brownie to have with the nutella crunch topping because it has a dark chocolate flavor that complements the sweetness of the topping perfectly.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 pinches baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon espresso powder
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the sugar and corn syrup. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking until well combined. In a very small bowl, stir together the vanilla extract and the coffee/espresso powder until it dissolves. Stir this into the liquid mixture in the pan. Add the dry ingredients into the pan as well, and fold with a spatula until the flour has been incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top with your spatula, and bake on the middle rack for about 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not raw batter. Let the brownies cool slightly before topping with the nutella crunch.  Cool completely before cutting.