double chocolate chunk brownies

“Pastry chef Lee Lee Reid is a self-proclaimed brownie aficionado. ‘I’m always looking for that perfect chew,’ she says. Needless to say, the chocolate chunk brownie recipe she developed, which customers can find at her husband’s bakeshop, Nathaniel Reid Bakery in St. Louis, is the ideal balance of cakey and fudgy—falling in line with Nathaniel’s own baking philosophy. ‘I like to be innovative,’ he says, ‘but I also like doing things that people understand and making it the best they’ve ever had.’ While many recipes call for creaming the butter and sugar before adding the eggs, Lee Lee Reid whips eggs and sugar together to aerate them, leading to the ultimate brownie consistency. A brownie will only be as good as the cocoa and chocolate used, so be sure to source the best, like Valrhona. For the cleanest cut, wipe off crumbs and spray your knife with cooking spray in between slices.”

- Food & Wine Magazine

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWNIES
(Yields 20 BROWNIES)

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
3/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 1/3 cup dark chocolate wafers
1 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350’F
2. Line a 13”x9” metal pan with parchment paper leaving 2” of overhang on all sides. Lightly coat the parchment paper with cooking spray
3. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a small bowl; set aside
4. Melt 1 cup of the dark chocolate wafers over a double boiler (or in the microwave), stirring often until smooth
5. Combine granulated sugar, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on medium-high until frothy and light caramel in color (about 1 minute)
6. With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture
7. With mixer off, gently fold in the flour mixture until well incorporated
8. Transfer batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula
9. Roughly chop the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate wafers and sprinkle them on top of the batter
10. Bake in a preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean (18-20 minutes)
11. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. Remove brownies from the pan and cut into 20 rectangles
12. Enjoy!