¼cup (32g)all-purpose flour(can sub an all-purpose gluten-free blend if needed)
½cup (85g)chocolate chips
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan (or line with parchment for easier removal) and set aside.
In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave (or in a saucepan on the stove, if you prefer). Whisk the cocoa powder and espresso powder into the melted butter until smooth and glossy, and let sit for about 2 minutes. It should smell intensely chocolatey.
When the mixture is slightly cooled, whisk in the sugar, followed by the eggs one at a time until the mixture becomes thick, smooth and viscous. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract until fully blended.
Stir in the flour until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. NOTE: this batter will be thicker than most brownie batters, and it may seem sparse for an 8x8 pan - but that's what makes these brownies so great. They are thinner, a bit cake-like, and very intense!
Bake for 30 minutes. The brownies should have a dry, shiny crust. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes (they will continue to cook and firm up a bit in the pan). Cut into 16 brownies and enjoy!
Notes
*You can use natural or Dutch process (alkali) cocoa in these dark chocolate brownies, and either will be delicious. In these photos I used Hershey's Special Dark, which is a mixture of natural and Dutch process cocoa. Because there is no leavening agent in this recipe, any cocoa will work. For the darkest color, use Dutch process. If you want to read up on the differences between natural and Dutch process cocoa, King Arthur Baking has a great article here.Recipe somewhat liberally adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownies in Baking: From My Home to Yours.