Cooks Illustrated Chocolate Chunk Brownies

 

Do you like chewy brownies? With dark chocolate chunks? Do you like the simplicity of one-bowl preparation? Well, these may be your brownies. This Cooks Illustrated recipe is a keeper with deep chocolate flavor, nice chewiness and toothsome chocolate bits. As usual, I cut the sugar, but otherwise was unusually faithful to the recipe. I plan to substitute some almond flour for some of the white flour next time. Edd Kimber, one of the first winners of the British Bake Off, recommends rye flour for brownies in his book One Tin Bakes, so that's another possibility to increase the nutrient value.

Cooks Illustrated Chocolate Chunk Brownies

From All-Time Best Chocolate Desserts
Makes 24

1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp boiling water

2 oz chopped unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 Tblsp vegetable oil

2 large eggs + 2 yolks

4 Tblsp butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

6 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the lowest position. Line a 13x9" pan with foil and spray with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the boiling water, unsweetened chocolate and cocoa until the chocolate melts. Whisk in sugar, oil, eggs, butter and vanilla until well combined. Gently whisk in flour and salt until just incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. (Or use a probe thermometer and bake until the internal temperature is 180 degrees for perfectly chewy brownies.)

Set the pan to cool on a wire rack for 1 1/2 hours.

Lift the brownies out of the pan and let cool for an hour before cutting into squares.