Intense--Fudge Brownies

Fudge Brownies
The All-American Dessert Book Copyright 2005

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 cups sugar
¼ cup brewed coffee or water I used 1 T espresso powder and 3 T water
11 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped I used bittersweet
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken up or coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional) I left these out

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to overhang the two ends of the pan by about 2 inches. Coat the foil with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour and salt; set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the butter, sugar and coffee just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Remove from the heat. Stir the chocolates into the sugar mixture until completely melted. Let cool to warm. Stir the vanilla into the chocolate mixture, then add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture just until the batter is evenly blended. Stir in the nuts, if using. Turn the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly to the edges.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the center is barely firm when tapped and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean except for the bottom 1/8-inch, which should have wet crumbs clinging to it. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let cool to warm, about 20 minutes.

To prepare the brownies for cutting, cover and refrigerate until well chilled and firm, at least 30 minutes. Using the overhanging foil as handles, carefully transfer the brownie slab to a cutting board. If desired, trim away the uneven edges using a sharp knife. Cut the slab in half crosswise, cutting through the foil. Carefully peel off and discard the foil.

The slabs will keep, stored airtight, in the freezer for up to a month. Let thaw partially before cutting into bars.
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This picture isn't that great but I think it shows the true fudginess of this brownie. Holy Hannah are these chocolately! If you compare them with Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia, they have the same about of butter, sugar and eggs, 3/4 cup more flour and 7 ounces more chocolate. They were so easy to cut after spending the night in the refrigerator (but let them come to room temperature before you eat them). There were also options to glaze these but personally I think that would be overkill. These have enough chocolate for even the most serious chocoholics.

Is this my first recipe from this book? I think it is. It's actually a pretty good cookbook but I just don't get to make desserts all that often. I did have a request to bake more often when I brought the leftover treats to work this week so maybe I should step it up. When the weather cools off, I'll start making more things to take to work.

I don't think I could ever go back to my old ways of cooking by the seat of my pants. Eating leftovers and scrambling for dinner this week has been really unsettling. I like to have a plan and I really don't like eating the same thing over and over, even in different forms.

Blast From The Past: Holiday Vegetable Dip from September 2006. I was going to make this for my cookout but it got cut from the line-up, due to my being overwhelmed by doing other things.

Question of the Day: Can you eat the same foods over and over or do you like variety?