The Best Chocolate Brownies Recipe EVER

I have been making brownies off and on for years, but I have never found a recipe that I truly like.  My baking is sold through restaurants and cafes, and usually includes chocolate layered cakes, cheesecakes, flourless chocolate cakes and tarts filled with chocolate truffle.  Plus I make packaged chocolate confections, so I just don't have that much time to experiment with brownie recipes.

But as soon as I saw the brownie recipe Megan Giller posted on her new website ChocolateNoise.com, I knew I had to try it. It was full of single origin dark chocolate, butter and more dark chocolate, so it looked like it was right up my alley. I was worried my family wouldn't like all the bitter chocolate in it, but the sugar certainly took care of any bitterness. In fact, since we ate the last piece three days ago, my kids have been begging me to make more.

The brownies were lightly crispy on the edges and super moist and fudgy on the inside. They were sweet and yet rich in chocolate flavour.  And the melted chocolate chips in the middle made all the ooey-gooey difference. Overall, they were DELICIOUS.

I made minor modifications to the recipe, such as choosing to use a smaller square pan instead of the larger one recommended, which increased the baking time. But it turned out so beautifully that I think I will stick to my version.  I have written the recipe below, but you can find the original one here, which will tell you why Dandelion Chocolate recommends using single origin chocolate for brownies (yup, so they can make a 'brownie tasting flight', BEST. IDEA. EVER. right?).

For the chocolate, I used a Camino brand Peruvian origin chocolate by La Siembra Co-Operative, which also happens to be organic and Fair Trade certified.  Under the Cuisine Camino brand, there is both 71% dark chocolate chips and baking chocolate of the same percentage. This chocolate has quite a distinct flavour that I find works well in desserts - it is sweet and bright, with a standard chocolate chip flavour, but also a slight sharpness that makes it interesting to taste. I tried the recipe one time with another 71% organic chocolate, but it was much more bitter tasting. So I think I will stick with Camino for this recipe in future. If you can't find that brand, don't worry, you can still use any 70% dark chocolate.

The Best Ever Chocolate Brownies
Adapted from ChocolateNoise.com

Time: Takes about one hour from start to finish.

You need:

• 1 cup of about 70% dark chocolate (I used Cuisine Camino 71% Baking Chocolate), chopped into 1 to 1/2 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup of butter, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/3 cup sugar (again, I used Camino brand for the sugar - it's golden cane sugar that is both organic and fair trade and not bleached!)
• 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp. unbleached flour
• pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)
• 1 1/4 cups of 70 or 71% chocolate chips (for something a little sweeter, go for 55% or 56% semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium-sized stainless steel bowl over a small pot of simmering water. If you prefer, use a heat-proof plastic or glass bowl to melt them together in the microwave for 2 minutes on half power. Stir until melted and smooth (do not overheat, just melt until you can stir the mix smooth and no longer or the cocoa butter will start to separate from the chocolate).
3. In a second bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs and sugar. Once combines, add to the chocolate mixture and stir.  An immersion hand-held blender works well for this step.
4. Gently fold in the flour and salt and stop stirring once mixed.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Bake for 25 minutes in a square 9" x 9" pan. Add five minutes cooking time if using an 8" square.
7. Let cool before serving.  Cut in squares and serve at room temperature.

Baking times for alternate pans:

If using a large snowflake pan, like I did on my second batch of brownies (which I purchased at HomeSense, also bake for 25 minutes. 

If using a larger 11 x 8 inch sheet pan like in the recipe on ChocolateNoise.com, then bake for 14 to 16 minutes as recommended.

Optional Topping: Shredded Coconut and White Chocolate Ganache

Although these brownies are lovely with a lightly crispy top to them, you can also make them festive for a holiday potluck or party by topping them with coconut.  To get the coconut to stick, make up a small batch of white chocolate ganache by combining 3 tbsp. of whipping cream together with 4 ounces of chopped white chocolate in a bowl, and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth and spread over the brownies, then sprinkle an abundance of coconut on top of the ganache.  Let the ganache set on the counter or in the fridge for 1/2 hour.  I also used Camino organic and fair trade shredded coconut for mine, but any will do!


Note: I was not sponsored/paid by Camino to write this post. I already use Camino brand of couverture chocolate, and raw cane sugar in my business because I believe in using organic and fair trade chocolate and ingredients as much as possible. Camino did send me a care-package of the Cuisine Camino products to try out, and this is what I decided to make with them! And as usual, I just love to tell you about quality ingredients and chocolate that I review.

Happy Chocolate Baking!