Barefoot Brownies

There are two camps of brownies—dense and fudgy, or spongy and cakey. In my mind, brownies are supposed to be fudgy, and these are the best! They are delicious, so fudgy and dense with a rich chocolate flavor that is enhanced by coffee powder in the mix.

I’ve made these brownies many times, and I must admit that I’m always a little horrified at how much butter, chocolate, and eggs go into them. I often check and re-check the recipe to make sure I didn’t read it wrong. The end result, however, is such a delicious and decadent dessert. They are a special treat!

Source: Outrageous Brownies, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and ¼ cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 ½-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with ¼ cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.