Sweetheart Edition: Cocoa Brownies with Sea Salt

"Artist" Rendition of the Love of My Life

The Love of My Life doesn't really smile for a lot of photos. As such, this doodle I drew of him about a year ago will serve--it's pretty accurate. Big huge beard. Broad shoulders. Dimples. Cleft chin. Lifts big. Trust me. It's all there; you just can't tell because of the huge beard. He's super picky, but he'll tell you that he's just a man who loves good, simple food. I love to cook (obvs), and I do it fairly often. He'll eat what I cook because he loves me and because he's a good man, but being a man of incredibly discerning palate (i.e., he so picky, you guys), there are but a handful of dishes about which he's gotten truly excited. Those dishes, and ones that are inspired by his tastes, will be highlighted in this and other "Sweetheart Editions."And in the interest of the coming romantic-times holiday, I thought I'd bake something for the Love of My Life.

I found this recipe last year when Buzzfeed had posted this article on sexy brownies.  Keeping in mind his penchant for simplicity, I opted to bake my love the most straightforward of the recipes--Cocoa Brownies with Sea Salt. They come together quite easily: I happened to already have all the necessary ingredients just hanging around. AND since the first step involves melting the butter down in a double-boiler-type setup, you don't have to worry about softening it first. I must admit that I'm kind of the worst about remembering to set up my butter beforehand. Easy come, easy go--you make these one night, and they are gone the next morning!

Enough jibber jabber--here's how I made them.

I followed the recipe on Splash of Something pretty much as written, with a few deviations in method based on what I had and what I know. First, I sifted the cocoa powder because as a recovering quick-and-dirty-lazy-girl baker, I know firsthand that cocoa powder pockets/crumbles in baked goods are disgusting. Second, although the recipe I used didn't specify when to add the sea salt, I'd now suggest sprinkling it onto the top of the brownies after they've cooked for a few minutes. The first time, I forgot it until they were almost done cooking, and the second time I added it before putting them in the oven. I think that letting the crust form a little bit before adding it will keep the salt from dissolving too much into the brownie. 

I had a glass bowl and medium glass saucepan, so that's what I used to melt initial ingredients. You really can leave them alone to melt. I wanted to keep stirring them and poking at them as they melted, but it's just not necessary. They'll do their thing--keep the heat relatively low (the water should simmer, not boil), and just stir it a bit every couple minutes. The rest of the recipe comes together with little incident. You let the batter cool a bit after it's all incorporated, and then you add the additional ingredients.

When the batter goes into the pan, it'll seem shallow, like there should be more. Don't worry. There shouldn't, and it's not gonna rise or anything during cooking. These are some rich brownies--no fluff, no messin around; just serious brownies that pack a chocolaty punch in the kisser. 

The worst part about these is waiting for them to cool. You really have to wait for a while if you want them to cut nicely. I'd suggest refrigerating them for at least 30 minutes after letting them hang out for 10 minutes once removing from the oven. Then, pull them out of the pan by the tinfoil overhang, and pop 'em in the fridge. 

Unless, of course, you don't care about eating crumbly brownies, and if there were ever some brownies eat whenevs, these are they. In that case, dig in as soon as they're cool enough for you to handle. Or before, if you're armed with milk.

You're welcome. 

What's your favorite brownie recipe? Do you prefer fancy brownies with extras (cheesecake swirl, nuts, fruits) or simple and chocolaty ones? What exactly is a "sexy" brownie? 

Cocoa Brownies with Sea Salt

From Splash of Something

• 10
 tablespoons unsalted butter, whatever temperature it is
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 
cold eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• flaky sea salt 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or tin foil, leaving some hanging over the sides so that you can lift the brownies out to cool later. 

Place the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium metal of glass bowl or medium saucepan, setting it in a pot of barely simmering water on the stove. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is well combined and hot to the touch. Remove the bowl from the skillet, and set it aside until the mixture has cooled slightly but still warm.

Stir in the vanilla and then the eggs, stirring well after each one. Once the batter becomes thick and shiny, add the flour and stir until you can no longer see it. Then stir vigorously for about a minute, and spread the batter into the lined pan.

Bake for about 5 minutes, then pull brownies out and sprinkle the flaked sea salt on top. Return to oven and bake until a toothpick in the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Then, for ease of cutting, lift the brownies out of the pan and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes (optional). Cut into squares for eating--I'd suggest 25 because they're quite rich.