These brownies aren’t just for the holidays – they are for every day. But, as the star of our December 2024 recipe email, we’re imbuing them with festive appeal!
When our U.S. colleague Eileen brought these brownies into the office, our mouths started watering before we even sliced into the pan. What’s more, Eileen made the brownies gluten free, but you’d never guess it. Thick and soft, not overly sweet yet rich, these brownies didn’t stand a chance. We devoured them in a few hours.
Upon being asked for the recipe by several of us, Eileen shared a link to none other than “The Smitten Kitchen” blog, which was the source of November 2024’s recipe for skillet-baked macaroni and cheese. What can we say? We really love the flavors and stories that creator Deb Perelman produces and shares.
The recipe below is pulled straight from Deb’s “my favorite brownies” recipe, but we also provide instruction below for making them gluten free. Eileen’s tip is to also add a half of a cup of chocolate chips to the unsweetened chocolate for added decadence.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (85 grams) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
- 1 1/3 cups (265 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
Optional:
- Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the unsweetened chocolate.
- Make gluten-free by substituting 1:1 gluten-free flour, such as King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour.
- Sprinkle with sea salt flakes before baking.
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F.
Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides. Butter the parchment or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare batter
In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter until only a few unmelted bits remain. Off the heat, stir until smooth and fully melted. Or, save time and pop the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-second bursts, stirring between each. Takes no more than 90 seconds. Now, whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour with a spoon or flexible spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center becomes batter-free.
Let cool and cut into desired size. If you did not opt for sprinkling with sea salt, you may dust the brownies with powdered sugar before serving.
Baking notes: we used a glass baking dish and the cooking time was much longer, so be mindful of your oven temp and type of bakeware.