This isn’t just a regular brownie, this is THE brownie, you may have heard of it before but if not it is claimed to be the perfect classic brownie, and I agree. In my humble opinion brownies don’t need any crazy mix ins to make them special, and they certainly don’t need icing (this makes it cake people), they just need to be good. And folks, these are good. The consistency is dense and not cakey at all, and it has that shiny crisp crust that all good brownies deserve. They are good warm, cold, topped with ice cream, dipped in milk or while hiding under your table from the rest of the world. This is the test of a really good brownie, and it passes on every level. So make these.. soon. And if you really must add goodies, these would be a great base for any mix ins or toppings. Enjoy!

THE Baked Brownie  (Print Me)

Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350º and butter the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan (line with parchment paper if you want).

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan (the mixture should be room temperature).

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey! Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for ~30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker