Cocoa Brownies With Browned Butter

Holy Cow – I have a new favorite brownie recipe. Can I just say WOW? I’ve almost eaten the whole pan. This is bad. Good thing I ran 3 miles today. Yish! Someone please come and take these away from me!

I have a weakness for brownies. The first recipe I ever memorized front and back and made a thousand times was a brownie recipe from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. They’re easy, the batter—unbelievable, and what’s better than a huge bowl of chocolate goodness.

I saw this recipe on The Cilanthropist and kept returning to it again and again.

Last week I made an icing from browned butter for these amazing brown sugar pound cake cupcakes and knew that the change from regular butter to browned butter was complete genius for brownies. The Cilanthropist has a great description on the process of browning butter (Check it out).

The hardest part about making this recipe is waiting for the chocolate mixture to cool enough to add the eggs. Pure torture.

I couldn’t stop licking the spoon!

These are unbelievable! Are you convinced yet? The browned butter adds a subtle nuttiness and caramel flavor that takes these to the next level. They are absolutely perfect with a little extra sea salt on top.

Wow- I’ve decided that all I’m eating tomorrow is salad because all I’ve eaten today is brownies and grapefruit. Tehehe I have a bit of a stomach ache right now 🙂

Best Brownies ever? I thought the Cilanthropist was making a bold statement but after trying these, I agree. They are one of THE best brownies I’ve ever tasted. Try them! Seriously. I just ate another one.

Cocoa Brownies With Browned Butter

Adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2011, recipe by Alice Medrich

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Ingredients

1 1/4 stick unsalted butter (10 tbsps) cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups natural cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans (or walnuts), toasted and chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Extra sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line the inside of an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 2-inch overhangs.
In a large saucepan, make browned butter by melting and cooking the butter over medium heat. The butter will first melt, then foam. Angle the pan and check the bottom for browned bits. As soon as you see browning, remove the butter from the heat (it will continue to cook and brown). Let cool several minutes and then transfer to a big bowl.
Stir in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, and 2 teaspoons water with a whisk. Then mix in the eggs one at a time, beating quickly after each addition. Once the chocolate mixture looks relatively smooth, stir in the flour (you might need to switch to a spoon).
Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips, and transfer to the prepared pan, smoothing the top before baking.
Bake for about 30 minutes or more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack. Once cool, transfer to the refrigerator before removing the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper overhangs and cutting into squares. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!