Recipe: Flour-less Chocolate Brownies

Thus far, my first day of being 23 has been incredibly productive. I meticulously cleaned the entire apartment, kitchen included, crossed nearly everything off my work to-do list, and swore to myself that I wouldn’t cook all day. That is, until, I made the fateful decision to hop on Twitter for a few minutes.

David Lebovitz, I blame your tweet about this sinfully fudgy brownie recipe for the chocolate batter smeared on my once-pristine countertops and the pile of dirty dishes in the previously-empty sink. But oh, was it worth it.

Everyone has their favorite brownie trait. Rather than judge this bake-sale staple by its crust to non-crust ratio, I’m a sucker for a brownie with a light, flaky top. And these hit the nail on the head. Be forewarned, though, that’s about the only ‘light’ thing about these incredibly rich, chocolately treats. And I mean that in the best, you WILL need a napkin and a glass of milk, way possible. Added bonus – no bizarre combination of gluten free flours to fuss around with!

Tip: To quickly bring eggs to room temp, place them in a bowl of slightly warm water for a few minutes. (I have the utmost respect for anyone who remembers to pull them out of the fridge ahead of time.)

[Recipe from David Lebovitz]

Ingredients

6 tbsp butter (+ 1/8 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 c nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 metal baking pan with foil, and grease the foil.

Prepare a double boiler by placing a glass bowl over a small pot holding about an inch or two of water. Bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low so the steam heats the bottom of the bowl.

Slowly melt butter, chocolate, and salt (if using) in the double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat and add sugar. Whisk to combine. Then add the eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl sift together the cocoa powder and cornstarch, and add this to the batter. Whisk to combine once more.

At this point, the batter will look pretty loose and grainy. For about one minute, vigorously whisk the mixture until the batter thickens and becomes smooth and glossy.

Fold in the nuts, if using, and pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the top of the brownies are set. The middle will be soft and fudgy, so don’t bother sticking a toothpick in to see if they’re done :)