Use the best chocolate you can find. I use and prefer Ghirardelli.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 pound unsalted butter
- 24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips ghirardelli, divided into 16oz and 8 oz portions
- 6 ounces chocolate powder ghirardelli sweetened chocolate and cocoa powder
- 6 extra large eggs
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee cafe bustelo instant expresso. level tablespoons. don't overdo it.
- 3 tablespoons vanilla extract best quality you can afford
- Carbohydrate 23.7372848540748 g
- Cholesterol 100.2626498125 mg
- Fat 25.3814410247099 g
- Fiber 1.84736044779177 g
- Protein 4.15040486819529 g
- Saturated Fat 15.2409119968871 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (102g)
- Sodium 5899.96526524664 mg
- Sugar 21.889924406283 g
- Trans Fat 1.70650975770641 g
- Calories 324 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325F if using convection)
- Butter and flour a half sheet baking pan. (Typically around 12" x 18"). My personal technique is to first butter the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper (the first coat of butter holds the paper in place) and butter it, then dust the entire sheet and sides with flour, tapping it on a hard surface all around to remove any excess.
- Melt to together the butter, chocolate chips and chocolate powder until smooth and combined. You may need to use a double boiler or medium bowl over a pan of simmering water. The goal is to gently melt and combine the ingredients, not break the chocolate. Allow to cool a bit.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula or spoon to mix together the eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar. Do not whisk because you do not want to build up air in this. Slowly stir in the melted chocolate to combine and allow to cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt then add to the chocolate mixture.
- In a small bowl, generously dust the remaining chocolate chips with about 1/8 cup of flour and fold into the mixture. Pour into baking sheet. This is a thick batter so you may have to gently spread it evenly around a touch.
- Bake for 20 minutes then rap the baking sheet against the oven rack a couple of times to force out any air trapped between the pan and brownie dough. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, being very careful not to overbake. Allow to cool thoroughly or even refrigerate if you'd prefer, then cut into 24 squares (20 if you want REALLY large brownies).
Unsalted butter carries the entire weight of this large batch, binding a full pound of fat with heavy amounts of sugar and chocolate solids. Sheet pan baking yields a high ratio of edge pieces to center squares, a structural trait prized by bakers who prefer concentrated chewiness over cake-like height.
- Line the half sheet pan with parchment paper after an initial butter coating so the paper stays completely flat while pouring thick batter.
- Melt the butter, 16 ounces of chocolate chips, and cocoa powder over simmering water in a double boiler to prevent scorching the milk solids.
- Stir the eggs, vanilla, coffee, and sugar gently with a rubber spatula instead of a wire whisk to avoid incorporating excess air into the mixture.
- Coat the remaining 8 ounces of reserved chocolate chips lightly in flour before folding them in to keep the pieces suspended evenly throughout the batter.
- Tap the baking sheet against the oven rack firmly at the 20-minute mark to release trapped air pockets before finishing the bake.
Visual testing replaces the standard toothpick method when baking high-fat batters because dense crumb structures yield wet crumbs long before the center is truly set. Pull the pan from the 350 degree F oven precisely when the top develops a dry, shiny crust and the edges begin to pull away from the parchment paper.
