Just Baking

Recently, when Quinn and I were craving something chocolate, I pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks, Chocolate by Nick Malgieri. Obvious choice for a chocolate recipe, right? And there are so, so many tempting ones within its pages.

After flipping through the recipes, I decided it was high time I tried out his Supernatural Brownies recipe. How I’ve waited this long, I have no idea.

A suggested variation is the addition of walnut or pecan pieces. I do like nuts in my brownies, so that was a given. However, I used hazelnuts that were chopped and then lightly toasted.

I used semisweet chocolate because that was all I had on hand. Next time, I think I would use bittersweet chocolate to tame the sweetness a bit. In any case, these are some of the best brownies I have ever made.

Nick Malgieri’s Supernatural Brownies

• 16 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Turn off heat. Set a heatproof bowl over water, and put butter and chocolate in bowl. Melt, stirring occasionally. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add salt, sugars, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate and butter mixture. Fold in flour and nuts. Pour batter into a 9″x13″ pan that has been buttered/sprayed. (The recipe also suggests lining the pan with buttered parchment or foil.) Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The top will form a shiny crust and the batter will be moderately firm. Cool on a rack. Cut brownies into squares and enjoy!