Many recipes on the internet claim to be “the best”. After trying PutneyFarm’s recipe for the “Best Brownies Ever”, I have to say that in this case I agree. The recipe is the result of Carolyn’s experiments to pack as much chocolate into brownies as possible, and although I haven’t challenged the recipe by trying to pack more chocolate into them, these brownies certainly taste that way. They are no more difficult to make than other brownie recipes, but they are a hell of a lot more delicious! I also like that these brownies fool you a little. Did you think you saw walnuts in those brownies? Look again, because it’s white chocolate chips rather than walnuts. I think they would taste just as good with dark chocolate chips rather than white (or with walnuts for that matter), but I like the visual effect.

Apart from packing as much chocolate as possible, there are two more tricks in this recipe that make these brownies stand out. The first is the use of instant espresso powder. There is no discernible coffee taste in the final brownies, but the espresso does bring out the dark chocolate flavor. The second is the use of salt. You do taste this and it really brings out the chocolate flavor, but if you don’t like salt I would recommend to halve the amount of salt.

Thanks PutneyFarm for sharing this great recipe!

The main thing I changed when I made them is that I used less different types of chocolate. You see, I had recently purchased a huge 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) bag of very high quality 70% cacao-content Callebaut dark chocolate chips. Callebaut is one of the leading manufacturers of chocolate in the world, and these chips are really good. So I decided to replace all dark chocolate in the recipe (i.e. semisweet, unsweetened, and bittersweet) with the Callebaut chips. I also replaced regular sugar with dark brown sugar for a ‘deeper’ taste. When replacing sugar like that, always make sure to replace by weight and not by volume, since they have different densities. (A cup of brown sugar weighs 170 grams, whereas a cup of regular sugar is 200 grams. The weight roughly determines the amount of sweetness.)

I only made half the recipe, which already is a lot if you are not feeding a crowd. Not that it will be difficult to ‘get rid’ of them. These brownies are very rich, so I would not recommend to eat them all by yourself. The people around you will love you all the more.

Ingredients

For a 30 x 22 cm (12″ x 9″) brownie pan

580 grams (20.5 oz or 3 cups) dark chocolate chips (70% cacao)

200 grams (7 oz or 1 cup) white chocolate chips

225 grams (1/2 pound or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the pan

3 (extra large) eggs

1 1/2 Tbsp instant espresso powder

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

225 grams (1 1/3 cup) dark brown sugar

100 grams (5/8 cup) flour

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt (1 tsp kosher salt)

cocoa powder, for dusting pan

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Melt the butter with 480 grams (2 1/2 cup) of the dark chocolate chips over low heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan or au bain marie.

Stir until completely smooth. Allow to cool a bit.

Combine the eggs, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla extract in a bowl.

Whisk to mix.

Add the melted chocolate as soon as the chocolate has cooled off enough as to not cook the eggs.

Stir to mix.

Sift 80 grams (1/2 cup) of the flour, baking powder, and half of the salt into a bowl. Whisk to mix.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture.

Stir until just mixed.

Combine the remaining 100 grams (1/2 cup) dark chocolate chips with the white chocolate chips and the remaining 20 grams (2 Tbsp) flour in a bowl and stir to coat the chips with flour.

Butter a 30 x 22 cm (12″ x 9″) brownie pan and dust with cocao powder.

Fold the chips into the batter as soon as the batter has cooled down enough so the chips won’t melt (i.e. under 30C/86F).

Pour the batter into the pan, evening out the batter with a spatula.

Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining salt.

Bake for 35 minutes at 180C/350F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can rap the pan halfway to let any trapped air escape (PutneyFarm says to do this, but I have never had this problem with brownies). Allow to cool to room temperature.

It’s easier to cut the brownies with a serrated knife, and when they have cooled down completely (in summer in the refrigerator).