One-pot chocolate-pecan brownies
Prep
15 min
Total
1 hour
Makes
16 brownies
I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for years, always trying to use as few bowls as possible, and getting the balance of chocolate, sugar, eggs and flour just right.
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When we were kids, my mom often made rich, fudgy brownies from Joy of Cooking. She doled them out in tiny one-inch squares, and my brother, sister and I loved them passionately. So imagine my delight when I saw big four- inch-square brownies in bakeries—they seemed enormous! I quickly learned that they’re too big for me, though. I prefer to make intensely flavourful, rich, satisfying brownies eaten in just a couple of bites. I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for years, always trying to use as few bowls as possible, and getting the balance of chocolate, sugar, eggs and flour just right. It may seem strange that there is neither baking powder nor soda here, but don’t worry—their absence makes the brownies even more dense and indulgent.
Ingredients
4 squares
Unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup
Butter
1 1/4 cup
Granulated sugar
3
Eggs
2 teaspoons
pure Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon
Instant coffee powder
1 cup
All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon
Salt
1 cup
chopped Toasted pecans
1/2 cup
Dark chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with non-stick baking spray (see page 4).
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium pot over low heat. Stir in the sugar until it has mostly dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla and coffee powder (if using) to the pot and whisk to combine. Add the flour and salt and stir well, making sure to get into the edges of the pot. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips until just combined.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared dish. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is firm and a cake tester comes out almost but not fully clean—these are fudgy brownies, so it should still look a bit damp. Let cool in the dish on a rack 10 minutes, then flip out of the dish to cool completely.
Make ahead - These last well for up to 3 days, wrapped with lots of plastic wrap and kept at room temperature.
Switch it up - The nuts and chocolate chips are optional and changeable. Replace with the same quantity of any chopped toasted nut, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch nibs or dried fruit.