Triple-Chocolate Espresso Brownies
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 28, 2012
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Makes 64 one-inch brownies
Ingredients
5 ounces (142 grams) semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped2 ounces (57 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters3 tablespoons cocoa powder 1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder3 large eggs 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (8.75 ounces/248 grams)2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon table salt 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces/142 grams)
Before You Begin
Either Dutch-processed or natural cocoa works well in this recipe. These brownies are very rich, so we prefer to cut them into small squares for serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Fold two 12-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Following illustration #1 below, fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- In medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa and espresso until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then fold in flour with spatula until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners, and level surface with rubber spatula; bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan using foil handles (see illustration #2, below). Cut into 1-inch squares and serve. (Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.)
Time
1 hour, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Makes 64 one-inch browniesIngredients
5 ounces (142 grams) semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces (57 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (8.75 ounces/248 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces/142 grams)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
5 ounces (142 grams) semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces (57 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (8.75 ounces/248 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces/142 grams)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
5 ounces (142 grams) semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces (57 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (8.75 ounces/248 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces/142 grams)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To develop a rich, deep chocolate flavor for our fudgy brownie recipe, we ultimately found it necessary to use three types of chocolate: unsweetened chocolate laid a solid, intense foundation; semisweet chocolate provided a mellow, even, somewhat sweet flavor; and cocoa smoothed out any rough edges introduced by the unsweetened chocolate (which can contribute a sour, acrid flavor) and added complexity to what can be the bland flavor of semisweet chocolate. We focused on flour, butter, and eggs to arrive at the chewy texture we wanted in our brownie recipe. Too little flour meant the batter was goopy; too much made the brownies dry and muted the chocolate flavor.
Before You Begin
Either Dutch-processed or natural cocoa works well in this recipe. These brownies are very rich, so we prefer to cut them into small squares for serving.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Fold two 12-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Following illustration #1 below, fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- In medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa and espresso until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then fold in flour with spatula until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners, and level surface with rubber spatula; bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan using foil handles (see illustration #2, below). Cut into 1-inch squares and serve. (Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.)
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