chewy go-to brownies

Childhood box brownies were the inspiration behind these chewy go-to brownies. Most sweets, when baked at home, far surpass the flavor and texture of pre-packaged treats. Boxed brownies are the one exception. While most brands have a wan, sugary flavor, there’s no arguing with the chewy, fudgey texture boxed brownie mixes produce.

Craving my childhood treats, I challenged myself to replicate boxed brownies purely from scratch. I consulted trusted cooking resources such as America’s Test Kitchen and New York Times cooking to develop my own delicious version.

The ratio of butter to oil in this recipe helps the brownies uphold the proper balance of unsaturated and saturated fat. As the good folks as ATK taught me, this balance of fats is instrumental in creating the proper chewy texture. Once the texture was accounted for, I turned my attention toward adding lots of chocolate flavor.

I’m a shameless choco-holic (some of my favorite chocolate fixes: chocolate cream pie and triple chocolate cookies) so these brownies had to boast lots of cocoa flavor. Adding instant coffee and vanilla extract to the batter helped amplify the cocoa notes. Additionally, using hot water to bloom the cocoa powder released all of its chocolate compounds and intensified the flavor. After 5 failed attempts, I’m excited to share my chew go-to brownies, bursting with chocolate flavor.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Enjoy.

chewy go-to brownies

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• Author: Sepideh Esmaili Campos

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• Cooking oil spray (I use avocado oil spray)
• 1/4 cup hot, fresh brewed coffee
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1.5 ounces (1/4 cup) chopped unsweetened chocolate or dark chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup light olive oil (or any neutral flavored oil that is liquid at room temperature)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• Optional 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

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Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the center of the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a 8X8 square baking dish with parchment paper (leaving a couple inches of paper overhanging on each side to create a sling) and spray with cooking oil.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the hot coffee, cocoa powder, butter and chopped chocolate.
4. Whisk to fully combine and melt the butter and chocolate. If the chocolate doesn’t completely melt, place the mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water until fully melted.
5. Add the vanilla, oil, sugar, eggs and salt to the batter. Whisk vigorously until fully combined and smooth.
6. Switch to a rubber spatula, sprinkle the flour over the batter. Fold the flour into the batter until just combined.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, smooth the top of the batter with your rubber spatula.
8. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top, if using.
9. Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge comes out clean with a couple of crumbs attached, 28-30 minutes. Don’t over bake the brownies.
10. Let the brownies sit in the pan  at room temperature for one hour. (If using a glass baking dish, let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes then use the parchment paper sling to carefully transfer the brownies to a cutting board.)
11. Remove the brownies from the baking pan and let the brownies continue to cool at room temperature for another 1-2 hours. The brownies are best served completely cooled and at room temperature.
12. Cut the brownies into 9 large squares or 12 smaller squares (this is the way I prefer to cut them).
13. Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.