I love cooking and I love writing recipes. I do. But even I lose my mojo. Sometimes when asked to bring something along to a party or an event, I just can’t muster a full day in the kitchen. I just want something easy and delicious that will make everyone happy. Like brownies. The problem is, when a recipe writer shows up and everyone wants to know what you brought and the answer is simply brownies, there’s a slight drooping of the mouth and a desultory shrug. Now I am very flattered that friends think everything I make is going to be elaborate and amazing, but I hate that moment of disappointment, like I’ve let everyone down. So my trick is to take my basic easy brownie recipe and zhuzz it up, so it becomes something out of the ordinary and unique. This is one of my favorite versions. Brown butter makes everything better, and I start with salted here to enhance the sweet. A hefty dose of vanilla paste, pockets of rich dark chocolate and little pops of sweet, caramelly toffee in a decadent cocoa powder batter make this crazy rich. A sprinkle of flaky salt – not too much – balances it all out. Now, I can show up and say “brownies” and watch that look of disappointment turn into delight.
Making these in a 9 by 13 pan gives you lots of brownies, depending on how small you cut them, that are relatively thin. You can make these in an 8 by 8-inch pan for a thicker, but fewer brownies, they’ll just need to cook a little longer, so check carefully. You want a tester to have some moist crumbs cling to it. The combination of granulated and light brown sugar adds depth and the cocoa powder creates a deeply chocolatey base. So I like to add some dark chocolate chunks – the chunky pieces, not chips, which ups the chocolate, but adds some contrast and nuance. I adore toffee (Heath is my favorite candy bar) and it pairs so well with brown butter for that nutty, caramelly taste. A sprinkle of flaky salt, like Maldon, on the top evens things out. Don’t go to town – I do that TV chef thing of waving the salt over the surface from high up so it distributes evenly and doesn’t overpower.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup granulate sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/3 cup toffee pieces (Bits o’ Brickle)
Directions
- Heat the oven to 305 degrees. Line a 9 by 13-inch brownie pan with parchment or non-stick foil, leaving some overhang to lift the brownies out.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a medium saucepan (light colored or stainless is best so you can see the butter as it browns). Heat over medium high heat, watching constantly, until the butter is melted. It will start to spit and hiss, then you will see brown speckles appear. Swirl the butter around to distribute the browned bits, and as soon as the butter has an even brown color and a nice nutty smell, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer and leave to cool for about 5 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugar and beat on medium high until it begins to look slightly creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. It will not be as creamy and fluffy as using softened butter, but you will see it lose some of its granularity, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat on medium high until well combined and smooth, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat, scraping the bowl, just until there are no visible streaks of dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chunks and toffee pieces and beat with the mixer a few seconds to get things started, then use a spatula to evenly distribute the pieces. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top to an even layer. Sprinkle about a Tablespoon of toffee pieces over the top, then a few pinches of flaky salt – sprinkle it from on high, like a tv chef to get even distribution and not too much.
- Bake the brownies for minutes 20 – 23 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center has some moist crumbs clinging to it – not wet batter and not completely clean. Cool completely in the pan, then lift the slab from the pan using the paper and cut into squares.
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