Let him eat cake: Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

This morning I got up at 5 am. Yes, I know it's the summer. Yes, I know it's ridiculous. But hear me out. My brother had a golf tournament today about 2 hours away and since I've been gone at school all year I really haven't had the chance to see him play in a while, so I jumped at the opportunity. I got to watch him play most of his round, but unfortunately he didn't qet qualified to go on to the next level, so I knew I had to make his favorite dessert once we got home to make up for it.... just a little bit. And that's where these brownies come in. (Unfortunately, I got a little over-excited about them and started cutting before I could get a good picture in!) I discovered them over Memorial Day weekend when I came home and needed a chocolate fix and they've become his favorites- and have absolutely nothing to do with those boxed mixes he's been settling for, for years. Sorry, Betty Crocker!

So here you are, a decadent and chewy-on-the-inside and slightly-cakey-on-the-outside brownie, that's perfect after a long day of golfing in the hot sun. :)

Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

-BakeorBreak, originally Martha Stewart

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 oz coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)

1/4 cup unsweeted cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I actually used whole wheat pastry flour- and no one noticed a difference!)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
2. Put butter, chocolate and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
4. Put sugar, eggs and canilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated. (This will be a THICK mixture- do not worry that it's not as creamy as some other brownie batters)
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Life outbrownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Happy Baking!

Jessica