Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies

Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies - made October 22, 2016 from Chocolate Chocolate by Lisa Yockelson

I was taking a nostalgic "walk" through my bookshelves and leafing through some of my favorites. I had purged quite a few baking books over the past year, donating dozens (yes, dozens) to my local library after realizing how few of them I actually used. Yes, I've known I rarely used so many of them for quite awhile but knowing and actually acting on that knowledge are two different things, separated by months of inner conflict and separation anxiety. I'm an instinctive hoarder, particularly of things I love like books and baking paraphernalia.

But it got to a point where the baking books gathering dust were mocking me more than satisfying my (now dormant) acquisitive nature and (now defunct) hoarding instincts so I silenced their reproach by sweeping them off the shelves and taking them to the donation bin for my library's regular book sales.

Some books survived the purge however, including this one by Lisa Yockelson, one of my favorite cookbook authors. I'm particularly a fan of her brownie recipes. I will confess (again) that I would have a hard time distinguishing between her brownie recipes because they're so similar to each other. But that's not necessarily a bad thing because what they have in common is they're all fantastic. Fudgy, chewy, dense, chocolaty, rich. These are not bad traits for brownies to consistently have.

This one I could've sworn I had already made and maybe I have and hadn't documented it or missed it on the blog. Regardless, it was worth making and (possibly re-)blogging. I kept these plain so that nothing could interfere with their dense fudgy goodness. Make sure to let these cool completely before you even think about cutting them or else they'll be too soft and mushy. If you don't overbake them, this is the kind of texture you'll get. Enjoy.

1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup bleached cake flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks, optional (I left them out)
1/2 pound (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid
5 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 9" baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chunks with 1 teaspoon of the sifted mixture, if using.
3. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter, melted unsweetened chocolate and melted bittersweet chocolate until smooth. 
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until blended, about 15 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk until combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Blend in the vanilla extract and melted butter-chocolate mixture.
5. Sift the flour mixture over and stir to form a batter, mixing until the particles of flour are absorbed. Fold in the chocolate chunks, if using.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
7. Bake the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes or until gently set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely before cutting and serving.