Another Great Brownie

Another Great Brownie - made February 6, 2016, recipe modified from Milk & Cookies by Tina Casaceli

This was actually the name of the recipe and isn't a judgment or endorsement on my part. I could've sworn I'd already made this but I tend to feel that way about most brownie recipes in baking books I own because chances are, I've looked at them and planned to make them for so long, I could half (or wholly) convince myself I had when I hadn't.

So just to remove all doubt, I went ahead and made them. I tend to prefer my brownies on the chewy-fudgy side. These were certainly fudgy but the addition of baking powder made them a little lighter than the dense chewy brownie texture that I prefer. They weren't exactly cakey but had more of a soft texture, bordering on mousse without being a mousse. Hard to explain but you'll get what I mean if you make these.

A couple of things to note, depending on how picky you are about brownies. I'm pretty much as picky as you can get. So I feel compelled to point out that this had more of an espresso flavor than I had counted on. Normally the addition of a bit of coffee or espresso to chocolate helps amp up the chocolate flavor. This did that but was slightly also bold on the espresso. Not a bad thing if you like coffee but if you don't, I'd suggest cutting back on the amount of espresso powder.

Lastly, and this is purely a personal preference thing, I'm not sure I like the chocolate chips in the brownie itself. If the texture had been more dense-chewy, I think I wouldn't have minded the chips but since it was a softer texture, the chocolate chips provided more of a contrast than I liked. Not a bad thing for some but for me, sometimes I just want the pure unadulterated chewiness of a plain fudgy brownie. With all that, you might think I didn't like this brownie. I did. I'm just picky.

2 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3.5-ounce bar of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 + 1/8 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips for mixing in

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the top half of a double boiler set over hot, barely simmering water, combine 2 1/3 cups chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate and butter. Whisk until melted and smooth; set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, espresso powder and vanilla. Stir until barely combined. Add melted chocolate mixture then flour mixture. Stir until smooth and glossy. 
5. Toss remaining 1/8 cup flour with 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips until chips are coated. Add to brownie batter and stir to combine.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes then turn pan and lower heat to 325 degrees. Bake another 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs.
7. Cool completely before cutting into squares.