Mar 30, 2011

Nick's 'Supernatural' Brownies

Fudgy and moist, these brownies (shown on the bottom) are made from a recipe that appears in Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers by Nick Malgieri (HarperCollins, 1998).

Credit: André Baranowski

16 tbsp. unsalted butter,
   plus more for greasing
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate,
   cut into 1⁄4" pieces
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown
   sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄2 tsp. fine salt
1 cup flour

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper; grease paper. Set pan aside.

2. Pour enough water into a 4-quart saucepan that it reaches a depth of 1". Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Combine butter and chocolate in a medium bowl; set bowl over saucepan. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

3. Whisk together eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt; whisk to combine. Stir in chocolate mixture; fold in flour. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Cut and serve.

MAKES 24 BROWNIES

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #113

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Ratings & Reviews (15)

by Boscoe The Cookie Doctor on 2008-07-31

this recipe looks fairly similar to mine. i'll have to give it a go and report back to you.

by qwendy on 2008-08-08

i chose this recipe because it had the least flour and sugar, and the most chocolate! i was thrilled with the fudginess of this brownie, and loved the edges. i am still on a hunt for a more chewy brownie -- is there anything i can add or adjust for chewiness? must research!

by terraskye on 2008-08-21

this has to be the best brownie recipe i've ever used. i prefer my brownies to be fudgey and a bit gooey and this worked out fantastic!!!

i wil be using this recipe quite often:)

thanks!!!

by Mardom on 2008-08-25

am trying it out right now. can't wait! to qwendy: i read somewhere that keeping cookie dough in th fridge for 36 hours increases the chewiness. maybe it'll work for brownies too?

by queenofcooking on 2008-09-15

in this issue it states that katharine hepburn's recipe contains the smallest amount of flour of the 3 recipes, and therefore produces "incredibly chewy bars."

by texacali27 on 2008-09-23

i just served this recipe tonight as dessert (with an all-american dollop of blue bell vanilla ice cream) and the guests were raving. this is one of the best brownie recipes i have ever found... using bitter sweet chocolate provides an excellent balance to the fudginess. most fudgy brownies i've tried are overkill because the chocolate favor is overwhelming. if you haven't made this one yet... what are you waiting for?!

by inanefx on 2008-12-04

I prepared this recipe using dark chocolate, a generous addition of cinnamon and I used an 8x8inch pan. The pan size made all the difference for me...I like THICK brownies, really gooey in the middle and a bit crunchy on the exterior.

Great recipe; really easy to make.

by airline on 2009-03-09

This recipe was recommended by Chef David Lebovitz. I made it yesterday with Scharffen-Berger's semi-sweet chocolate bar plus a variation of 2 cups of pecan pieces and it was wonderful! It is a rich and moist brownie so a little vanilla ice cream goes well with it and home-made caramel sauce too.

by airline on 2009-03-09

by lisadodd on 2010-02-02

This was one of the best brownie recipes I have tasted. I am a "corner" brownie eater, but I also like the middle to be fudgy. This brownie was almost perfect--could have been just a little "fudgier", but still a great recipe.

by katietait on 2010-03-24

Delicious! Everyone I shared with raved about it.

by katietait on 2010-03-24

Delicious! Everyone I shared with raved about it.

by BRONX BAKER on 2012-01-16

If you substitute 4 tbs of the butter with 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and add one more egg, the brownies will be super moist and chewy.