Easy Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

6 oz 70% cacao dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Make the Brownie Batter

First, get your oven preheating to 350F and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the chopped dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Whisk everything together until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, then take it off the heat to cool down a bit.

While that’s cooling, combine the eggs and dark brown sugar in a separate bowl. You need to whisk this vigorously – or use a hand mixer – until the sugar has completely dissolved into the eggs. A good way to check is to pinch a bit of the mixture between your fingers; if you can’t feel any sugar granules, you’re good to go.

Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste until combined.

Now, pour the cooled chocolate-butter mixture into the egg and sugar mixture and whisk until it’s smooth.

Switch to a spatula and fold in the all-purpose flour and kosher salt until they’re just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Bake the Brownies

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.

Bake for ~28-32 minutes. The edges will look set, and the center will be puffed up. As soon as you pull the pan from the oven, give it a good bang on the counter – this helps create an even fudgier texture as it cools.

You have to let the brownies cool in the pan for at least an hour. If you try to lift them out too early, the middle might collapse. Once they’re firm enough to handle, you can lift them out with the parchment paper, slice, and serve.