I think the best way to describe these brownies is ‘indecisive’. They are neither cakey or fudgy. A happy medium. Best of both worlds with a crackly shiny top and loads of chocolate.
Real Talk: If I am in a situation where there is a dessert table (think wedding or office party) I will probably go for the cake first, pies next, then cookies and finally the brownies. Maybe. Brownies just aren’t my go-to. I suspect it’s because I enjoy a warm brownie with a cold glass of milk, which is obviously not happening at a dessert buffet.
My husband on the other hand loves brownies. Can’t get enough of them. Dark Chocolate. Milk Chocolate. Sugar Free (when we try to be healthy). Applesauce Brownies. Any brownie you put in front of him is a winner. Can you imagine his surprise when I said out loud “I want to make three different brownies side by side to decide my favorite?” Dreams came true for him in that moment. Rainbows, Puppies, Unicorns. Dreams. The next day he went with me buy more baking pans, you know for research.
I’m not sure what it says about me that the brownie that I loved the best is the one that sort of waffles in the middle. It’s cakey with a hint of fudge and pockets of melted chocolate chips. Decadent.
This recipe is a one-pot recipe. Not a bowl. A medium/large saucepan or pot that will allow you space to whisk in all of the ingredients. By slowly melting the butter, adding the sugar and reheating the butter/sugar mixture creates that beautiful shiny and cracked top that is my favorite. Since half of the ingredients are already in the pot, save yourself some time and mix the whole thing in the saucepan.
You will also need a strong whisk (I broke one) and/or a wooden spoon. I used a 9×9 inch pan to get the thickest brownies imaginable. In retrospect a 9×13 would also do the trick and reduced the bake time by at least 10 minutes.
About the chocolate. I used Ghirdaelli’s Dutch Process Cocoa which is what I normally have on hand along with 2 oz of a Semi Sweet Baking Square along with semi-sweet chocolate chips. {my teeth hurt just writing that sentence} Next time I will diversity the chocolate to be more balanced and less sweet. I’m thinking the dutch process cocoa with a 100% unsweetened baking square and 72% dark chocolate chips.
Indecisive Brownies
A 'best of both worlds' brownie that's the perfect amount of cakey and fudgey with a shiny top.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 ¼ cup dutch process cocoa
- 2 oz Semi Sweet Baker’s Square
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch pan.
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In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted stir in the sugar and stir over the heat until it’s just hot. (No hotter than 120ºF). Stir in the baker’s square until melted.
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In the same sauce pan, stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth.
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Whisk in the eggs followed by the flour and chocolate chips.
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Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
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