I love making desserts for a crowd and since delicate chocolates aren’t the best choice for Summer BBQ’S my brownies have become somewhat of a hit lately. So much so, yesterday a friend asked if we were friends for a decade I would share the recipe. As I mentioned it was already out there in the blogosphere for all to see I realized I’m not even following my own recipe anymore. Naturally I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years so I decided to revisit this Best Brownie Recipe post from 2009. The secret is really just excellent chocolate!
Best Ever Brownie
- ½ cup Butter
- 4 oz. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cups Sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large Eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
As I mentioned above, the best brownies are made with quality, high cacao percentage chocolate. Currently I am using organic, single origin, Dominican Republic, 74% cacao, from Felchlin.
Additional notes: If I use salted butter I don’t add more salt. I often used vanilla infused sugar and if so I don’t add the vanilla extract. For now I have replaced the chocolate chips with cocoa nibs. A bit healthier and adds a crunch like a nut, but not. Also, I’m trying not to support the large corporations that mass produce chocolate chips in maybe not-so moral circumstances. But I’ll get into that later.
For a large crowd I always prepare a double batch and I think my favorite thing about this recipe is lining the pan with foil. One less dish to wash is always a good thing! The hubster, Brian loves them with ice cream and I’m not gonna lie I would agree they are best warm and a la mode.