Cocoa Brownies from Alton Brown

I absolutely love brownies, but I quit making them for years because I just couldn't get them right, not even from a box! They were either completely underdone goo, or they were bricks. Many recipes these days call for melted chocolate/baking squares, which I am not likely to have on hand unless I am planning ahead for a recipe. Unfortunately for me, brownies tend to fall under "spur of the moment" things for me, so that didn't' really work either. But when I saw Alton Brown had a cocoa based brownie recipe, I decided to give it a try. So glad I did!

Cocoa Brownies
Source: Alton Brown, FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

• Soft butter, for greasing the pan
• Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar, sifted
• 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
• 8 ounces melted butter
• 11/4 cups cocoa, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
• Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

My Notes: These are very very yummy, but mine don't look like Alton Brown's did on the show. They have a crunchy top instead of a shiny crackled top. Mine also take more like an hour (or more) to cook instead of 45 minutes. The episode also shows him using a parchment sling instead of buttering and flouring the pan. I've made them both ways, and both work fine. Again, these are not complaints, just observations.

Verdict: Love these brownies! And I love that they use cocoa, which I am much more likely to have on hand, instead of melted chocolate.