Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies

★★★☆☆

Prep: 25 mins Cook: 18-20 mins Serves: 20

Ingredients

Cooking sprayCooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4¼ ounces)240 ml all-purpose flour (about 4¼ ounces)
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (such as Valrhona)60 ml Dutch-process cocoa powder (such as Valrhona)
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt4 ml fine sea salt
1⅓ cups dark chocolate wafers (such as Valrhona Caraïbe 66% Cacao), divided320 ml dark chocolate wafers (such as Valrhona Caraïbe 66% Cacao), divided
1 cup granulated sugar240 ml granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter (6 ounces), melted180 ml unsalted butter (6 ounces), melted
½ cup packed dark brown sugar120 ml packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract5 ml vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13- × 9-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on all sides. Lightly coat parchment paper with cooking spray. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Melt 1 cup chocolate wafers over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring often, until smooth. Combine granulated sugar, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until frothy and light caramel in color, about 1 minute.
3. With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour melted chocolate into egg mixture. Fold in flour mixture until incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top. Roughly chop remaining ⅓ cup chocolate wafers, and sprinkle over top of batter. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack at least 2 hours. Using parchment, remove brownies from pan. Cut into 20 rectangles.

Lee Lee Reid's technique of whipping eggs and sugar together (rather than creaming butter and sugar) creates the perfect balance of cakey and fudgy texture. Use high-quality chocolate like Valrhona for best results. For clean cuts, wipe knife and spray with cooking spray between slices. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Wine Pairing: Dessert Wine — Port or Banyuls — the fortified wine's rich, chocolatey notes and concentrated sweetness complement the intense chocolate flavor while the wine's slight tannins balance the brownies' richness