Chef notes
Easy to make and bake ahead brownies are always welcomed by my guests. I like to top them with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce for an unexpected surprise at a dinner party. The characteristics of an ideal brownie are chewy edges, a fudgy interior (the fudgier the better!) and a crackly top.
For extra-gooey brownies: Bake them in an 8-inch square pan instead of a 9-inch one, knowing you'll have fewer edge servings.
For easier removal: Butter the baking pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; butter the parchment. The parchment "handles" will aid in lifting the whole brownie slab from the pan after baking.
For more chewiness: Replace 3 tablespoons of the butter with a neutral-tasting oil (recognizing that the taste will be slightly less lush).
For more chocolate flavor: Cocoa powder provides deep richness, while chopped chocolate creates lovely melty pockets when added in two batches — melt two-thirds with some of the butter and whisk into the batter, then fold the remainder into the batter just before baking.
For a balanced crumb: In this recipe, eggs are the only leavening, so adding them one at a time to the batter allows them to be incorporated and offer a bit of a lift.
For a shiny shell: Thoroughly whisk the eggs into the still-warm melted chocolate mixture for a good 45 to 60 seconds.
For molten centers: Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with crumbs on it — a couple of minutes less than the recipe's bake time.
For easier cutting: Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then lift them from the pan and allow to cool completely on the rack before cutting into squares.
