One Bowl Baking
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Decadent, fudgy brownies with a kick of espresso and a handful of crunchy sweet cashews. Extra whisking will give you a crustier top.

Notes: Whisking the mixture well helps to dissolve the sugar and contributes to a crackly crust. The sugar should end up mostly dissolving, and the mixture should appear smooth and glossy. For fudgy brownies, avoid overbaking.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), and available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Ingredients

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup roasted cashews, chopped

Procedures

  1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and two sides of an 8- by 8- inch baking pan with foil, allowing edges to overhang the sides. Grease the pan.

  2. In a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, heat butter, chocolate, espresso powder, and salt until melted and smooth.

  3. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in sugars until combined. Add eggs, one by one, whisking well after each addition. Add vanilla and mixture for one minute.

  4. Add flour to chocolate and whisk until combined and mixture is smooth and glossy (see note). Stir in cashews. Spread into pan and bake until just set and top is crusty, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.