Oprah's Favorite Brownies

Oprah's Favorite Brownies - made May 7, 2022 from Something Swanky

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

11 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cocoa powder; set aside.
3. In the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, melt chocolate and butter, whisking until completely melted and smooth. 
4. Remove from heat and add granulated sugar and brown sugar, whisking until combined. Whisk in 3 of the eggs until combined then the remaining two eggs with the vanilla until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Add chocolate mixture to flour mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until a batter forms. Do not whisk or use an electric mixer. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

I don't know if these are truly Oprah's favorite brownies and that's not why I tried out the recipe anyway but that's what they're called on Something Swanky's blog so that's what we'll go with.

I've been making care package after care package with my go-to brownie recipe and whenever I hear back from a military service member who received the package(s), he or she always specifically mentions the brownies (no matter what else is in the box). I normally wouldn't mess with what works but I'm running out of unsweetened chocolate and they're getting cost prohibitive to order, even in bulk so I thought I'd try this recipe which relies on chocolate chips and cocoa powder.

I'm also trying to use up a Costco-sized container of Nutella so I added in some Nutella swirls for added flavor, texture and decadence. The batter itself is thick but for easier swirling, warm up the Nutella in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make it a little more liquid. Spread the brownie batter evenly in the pan then dollop the warm Nutella over the top and swirl away.

I thought these turned out pretty well. They're rich and fudgy like a good brownie should be. They don't displace my favorite brownie recipe though but will do in a pinch if I'm short on unsweetened chocolate.