On Saturday, August 12, 2017, Queen City Kitchen will be a vendor at the Love Desserts Charlotte dessert festival. This will be my first festival, and I’m really excited! I love getting out in front of people and talking about what I do. I’ll have on my baker hat at the festival, so the conversation will be centered on everything sweet and yummy. Since there are a number of cake bakers signed up for the event, I thought it would be fun to focus my energy on making my self-proclaimed world’s greatest brownies. They’re are rich, dense, and packed with dark chocolate goodness. They are absolutely delightful!
Whenever I sell these brownies at the farmers’ market, I make friends. And if you’ve read my novel, these are the brownies that hooked Damien to Michelle. And just so you know, these brownies have been known to hook men in real life, too! The key is to not skimp on the chocolate. Buy good quality chocolate from the candy aisle. Trust me.
My plan is to have various brownie options at the festival. If you live in the Charlotte area, stop by Sugar Creek Brewing Company on August 12 from 12 to 5 to say hey and sample some world-famous treats!
Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!
Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownies
Makes 16 servings
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Fit the pan with aluminum foil, pushing the foil into the corners and up the sides of the pan, allowing a four-inch overhang on each end. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
Sift 1 1/4 cups of the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Set a large bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate and espresso powder in the bowl, stirring frequently. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the sugar and vanilla. Pour in the eggs in a steady stream while stirring the chocolate. Stir constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined and no white streaks are visible. Toss 1 cup each of the chocolate chips and walnuts in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon flour to coat, and fold into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and walnuts over the top. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (There may be a few moist crumbs attached to the toothpick.)
Remove the brownie from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Lift the brownies out of the pan by the foil handles and remove the foil. Cut the brownies into 16 bars.