Classic Brownies (ATK)

• servings: 24

Ingredients

1¼ cups (5 ounces) cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

2¼ cups (15¾ ounces) sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (optional)

MINT FROSTING

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon mint extract

1 recipe Classic Brownies (page 230), cooled and still in pan

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be

13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to one another, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and

up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil and set pan aside.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined; set aside.

3. Melt chocolate and butter in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Off heat, gradually whisk in sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition, until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts, if using, evenly over bat- ter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let brownies cool in pan on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove brownies from pan using foil. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Brownies can be stored at room tem- perature for up to 3 days.)

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED MINT-FROSTED BROWNIES

1. FOR THE MINT FROSTING: Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar at low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 1½ minutes. Add 1 tablespoon milk and mint extract and continue to beat until combined,

about 30 seconds, adding up to 1 tablespoon additional milk if necessary to achieve soft spreadable consistency. Using offset spatula,

spread mint frosting evenly onto cooled brownies, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

2. FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Microwave chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power for 1 to 2 minutes; stir, add butter, and continue heating until melted, stirring once every additional minute. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

3. Pour chocolate glaze on frosted brownies; using offset spatula, spread glaze into even layer. Cover with foil and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Remove brownies from pausing foil, cut into 2-inch squares, and serve. Brownies can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

Notes

O WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Chewy and chocolaty, brownies should be a simple and utterly satisfying affair. But too often, brownies are heavy, dense, and remarkably low on chocolate flavor. We wanted old-fashioned brownies that had serious chocolate flavor.

USE UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE

Ounce for ounce, unsweetened chocolate has more chocolate flavor than bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (which are one-third to one-half sugar). Using a hefty amount of unsweetened chocolate gives us brownies that aren't too sweet but have profound chocolate notes. A big dose of vanilla (a full tablespoon) helps reinforce the chocolate flavor. ADD CAKE FLOUR Chocolate contains starch, and if you're using a lot of chocolate (which we do here) it can negatively impact the texture of brownies. Switching from the usual all-purpose flour to cake flour (which has a lower protein content) makes the brownies fine-textured (not gritty) and tender. A little baking powder also lightens the texture a bit so they are not overly dense and fudgy.

TOAST THE NUTS If you mix nuts into the batter before baking the brownies, they steam and become soft. Sprinkling the nuts on top just before baking keeps them dry and crunchy; toasting them first makes them even crunchier while also enhancing their flavor. DON'T OVERBAKE Chocolate flavor really suffers when baked goods are over- baked. Using a 325-degree oven ensures even baking (the edges don't dry out, which can be a problem when making a large pan of brownies, as we are here). Also, don't overbake brownies-you want a toothpick to come out of the brownies with a few moist crumbs still attached.

Be sure to test for doneness before removing the brownies from the oven. If underbaked (the toothpick has batter, not just crumbs, clinging to it), the texture of the brownies will be dense and gummy; if overbaked (the toothpick comes out completely clean), the brownies will be dry and cakey. To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat it at 50 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate, add the butter, and continue heating until melted, stirring once

every additional minute.