Tartine’s brownies

I made these for my official brownie tester and asked her opinion about them: she said they were really, really, good and eating them was like “biting into foam”. Then I asked if these were better than her favorite brownies – she said she couldn’t decide, because they were both delicious, despite being different in texture.

I guess that lack of decision making mojo runs in the family – I can’t pick a favorite between Bill and Eric... ;)

Recipe from this book, but I was too lazy to type it and stole it from Mark’s blog. :D

Tartine’s brownies
from Tartine

¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter
455g (1 pound) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped – I used 70% cocoa solids
5 large eggs
2 cups (350g) light brown sugar, packed*
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 23x33cm (9x13in) glass baking dish with foil and butter the foil as well.
In a small saucepan or a microwaveable bowl, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat/microwave and stir in the chocolate. If it's not fully melted, return over low heat for 10 seconds or microwave on low power for 15 second-intervals, stirring in between, until it is melted. Cool completely.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat on high speed for about 4-5 minutes, after which the batter will fall from the whisk in thick ribbons that slowly sinks into the surface. Fold the chocolate into the eggs with a rubber spatula. Sift the flour over the surface and fold in gently. Pour into the dish and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes (the top will slightly crack-- a cake tester won't be accurate for this one).
Let cool completely before cutting.

* I used 140g brown sugar + 125g demerara sugar

Makes 12 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above and used a square 20cm (8in) pan