I’m pretty sure everyone needs these Heritage Dark Chocolate Brownies right now. Not wants, NEEDS. Things are tough out there and comfort food is a necessity to stay sane.
This brownie recipe comes from Ellen King’s Heritage Baking bread book, and uses whole grain flour with a touch of coffee to boost the richness. I can say with confidence that it is just about the most perfect brownie I’ve ever made.
Heritage Dark Chocolate Brownies – by Ellen King
Ingredients
- 450 g (2 cups) unsalted butter
- 285 g (2 cups) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 450 g (9 large) eggs – NOTE: home grown eggs are smaller so use the scale
- 800 g (33/4 cups) sugar
- 4 g (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
- 290 g (2 cups) sifted heritage flour (Hard red winter/Hard red spring), such as Rouge de Bordeaux – we milled our own and didn’t sift
- 4 g (11/2 Tbsp) finely ground espresso beans – we used ground coffee on hand
- 3 g (1/2 tsp) fine sea salt
For a half batch here are the measurements: 225 g butter, 142 g cocoa, 225 g eggs, 400 g sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 145 g whole wheat flour, 3/4 tbsp espresso powder, 1/4 tsp salt. Use an 8×8″ pan instead.
Method
We neglected to photograph the process, but it’s really easy:
Turn on the oven to preheat to 350°F and line the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish with parchment paper. Oil that parchment paper slightly.
In a double boiler (you can use a metal bowl over a pan of hot water) mix the butter and cocoa powder until melted and combined. It will have a thick texture, but keep stirring until it’s liquid.
In small bowl, mix together the flour, espresso or coffee powder, and salt.
Use a stand or hand mixer to combine the eggs and sugar in another bowl, then slowly add the cocoa/butter mixture while it’s running. Add the vanilla and the flour/coffee/salt to the eggs and mix until well combined.
Pour the whole thing into that baking pan and bake for 30 minutes until the top is dry and a skewer comes out with “moist crumbs”. Don’t wait until it comes out clean. That will over-bake these babies.
Now the hard part – wait for the brownies to cool completely and then cut them into squares. You can store them in foil or an airtight container at room temperature (read: easy access) or freeze them for up to 2 months.
The whole grains add a wholesome texture, and one is definitely enough to satisfy. Treat yourself to something sweet and rich this week. Stay home and stay safe!
If we use brown sugar instead of regular sugar, will that give a better taste?
You could try that, though I don’t know that it’s possible to improve upon this recipe. That said, I often substitute coconut sugar for regular sugar in recipes. It’s a little less sweet, which I prefer.
Is the pan size for the full batch or 1/2 batch?
Good question, Allen. I updated the post to show that the size for a half batch is an 8×8″ pan.