Perfect Brownies

A confession: I'm a chocolate fiend. I cannot resist anything made out of chocolate no matter how hard I try. If someone were to ask what my favourite dessert is, chocolate would be at the top of the list.

I don't need a large portion of a chocolate treat – just something dark and rich to hit the spot. A square or two of dark chocolate usually satisfies my cravings.

Brownies are the perfect chocolate dessert, but sometimes they can go oh-so-wrong. I don't like my brownie to be overly sweet or cakey; if I wanted cake, I would eat cake. My perfect brownie is dense, chewy and bittersweet. If that is the description of your ideal brownie, this recipe is for you.

The cherry on top of it all is that this recipe is ridiculously easy to throw together. You can be eating a batch of freshly baked brownies in less than an hour.

Perfect Brownies
Barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I reduced the sugar to 1 cup as per Mark Bittman. IMO, the flaky salt is essential to bring the brownies to another level.

3 ounces (85 grams) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick or 115 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt (about 2 grams)
2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Butter the parchment or foil or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together until only a couple unmelted bits remain. Off the heat, stir until smooth and fully melted. Alternatively, you can do this in a saucepan over very low heat, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.

Whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour with a spoon or flexible spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free.

Let cool and cut into desired size.