Fudge & Sea Salt Brownies

I brought these into work the other day and they were a huge hit. Everyone in the office was clamoring for more. The salt makes the brownies taste extra chocolaty and fudgy. The recipe is very easy to follow. Just be sure to use good chocolate -- I use Scharffen Berger unsweetened baking chocolate and Valhrona cocoa powder -- and don't overbake the brownies. These look really pretty if you sprinkle them with a bit of flaky sea salt like Maldon just before they finish baking or right as you take them out of the oven. After baking and cooling as directed in the recipe, the brownies can be refrigerated for three days or frozen up to one month.




Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (it helps if chocolate has been refrigerated or if knife is cold)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Line a 9-inch square metal cake pan with foil, draping the foil over the edges. Lightly butter the foil.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the unsweetened chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Whisking them in one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, add the cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the batter. Using a butter knife, swirl the salt into the batter.
• Bake the brownies in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the edge is set but the center is still a bit soft and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out coated with a little of the batter. Let the brownies cool at room temperature in the pan for 1 hour, then refrigerate just until they are firm, about 1 hour. Lift the brownies from the pan and peel off the foil.
• Cut the brownies into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature.

Note: This recipe is from Food & Wine magazine.