Outrageous Brownies

Eva of I'm Boring chose Outrageous Brownies for this installment of Barefoot Bloggers.

I was eager to make this recipe as I have seen Ina make it several times and who can resist a sheet pan full of brownies? While the brownies were good, these were not my favorite. They were just a little too much; too much butter, too much chocolate (I never thought I would utter those words), and too much for my family to finish. Don't get me wrong, they were certainly fudgy and rich, but I prefer a less crumbly brownie and more of a smooth milk chocolately flavor than you get with unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate. Dark chocolate lovers will love these!

The only changes I made to the recipe were to omit the

coffee and substitute pecans for the walnuts.

Outrageous Brownies

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.