Browned Butter Fudge Brownies

Browned Butter Fudge Brownies - made February 13, 2019 from The Food Charlatan

I credit The Food Charlatan with the recipe that was one of the most popular I'd ever made and served for one of my holiday dessert parties: the Brownie-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So this brownie looked promising, especially as it was billed as the "best" brownies ever. You know I'm always a little wary about "best" hyperlatives. Not because I question whether it'd be good or not but we all have our own preferences and one person's "best" of something might be someone else's "okay". Nothing wrong with that; we all have different taste buds and that's a good thing.

Case in point, I'm sure most people would like these brownies. Fudgy, dense, chewy - all hallmarks of a good brownie. But in my case, I found these a little too sweet for me. I don't know if my sweet tooth was off when I made this as I rarely find things "too sweet". But although these had unsweetened chocolate, I think there was a little too much sugar for me to offset it.

For those who prefer more chocolate than sweet in a brownie, I'd recommend cutting back on the sugar by maybe 1/4 to 1/2 and mixing in a couple tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder in place of a couple tablespoons of flour.

1 1/4 cups salted butter (2 1/2 sticks), melted and browned (go to original blog for instructions on how to brown the butter)
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. To the just melted and browned butter, add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until melted and combined.
3. Add sugar and whisk together. Add salt, water and vanilla; whisk to combine. Stir in eggs, one at a time, whisking until each egg is incorporated. Stir in flour until just combined. Whisk until batter is smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix.
4. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle chocolate chips, if using, over top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not raw batter. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting and serving.