The Best Cocoa Brownies

Cocoa Brownies

I will probably spend a lifetime searching for my perfect brownie. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. I'm not even sure what exactly I'm searching for, but I know I haven't found it yet. This recipe by Alice Medrich is very decadent and deliciously silky. I splurged on Valrhona cocoa powder - $9.99 at Fairway Market. Normally I stick to the less expensive brands such as Droste or Rademaker, but this recipe needs the super dark richness of the Valrhona. The recipe yields a very thin brownie, but being it is so rich it's probably a good thing they are small. If you like thick brownies, double the recipe.

Valrhona Cocoa Powder

Butter, Cocoa Powder Salt and Sugar

Ready to be baked

Cut into 16 squares

Best Cocoa Brownies
Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet

Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion (I pulled mine out at 25 minutes and they were perfectly set). Let cool completely on a rack. (If you refrigerate after cooling, it will be easier to cut neatly)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.