Chewy, Fudgy Brownies

Bob and I recently started the house hunting process, and it has unexpectedly taken up what little free time I have! It's exciting but also so overwhelming. I've been trying to fit in some baking too, but it's been hard! I've wanted to make these brownies from my America's Test Kitchen Cookbook for a long time. I'm constantly on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe!

I am very particular about my brownies. I like them chewy, not cakey. Given that these are called "chewy, fudgy brownies," I thought these would be it. Although these were very good brownies, they were not my idea of "chewy" . . . not as much "cakey" as I've had in the past though. All of the chewy brownies I've had are much thinner than these, so perhaps using a larger pan would have made them more chewy? I'm not about to try to revamp a Test Kitchen recipe - I'll just continue my hunt. If chewy isn't your thing, these really are delicious. Plus, these brownies slice very beautifully - so the presentation is great for company!

Chewy, Fudgy Brownies

Ingredients:

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters

3 tablespoons cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two pieces of foil that extend beyond the edges of the pan (to serve as handles to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan). Spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. Melt the chocolates and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds.

4. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until just combined.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the batter into the corners and smooth the surface. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick o wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.

6. Cool the brownies on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

7. Loosen the edges with a paring knife and lift the brownies from the pan using the foil extensions. CI recommends cutting the brownies into 64 1-inch pieces. I cut them into 16! The cut brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Source: Adapted from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook