Fudgy Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies

Who doesn’t like a good brownie? I like mine fudgy and not very cakey. The top should have a lovely crisp crust and the brownie itself should be filled with bitter-sweet chocolate flavour. Make way for this super indulgent and divine brownie! This is a double chocolate, yes you read that right, double chocolate wanlut brownie. (As if chocolate flavour in one form wasn’t enough. But hey, chocolate doesn’t need any limit. ❤ ) 

WARNING: High calorie and indulgent brownie recipe. Not for the faint hearted!  😛 

But wait……..who even compromises on an occasional indulgence? Just go for it! 😀 

There are so many ways to make a brownies. Some involve melting chocolate with butter and then combining all the other ingredients while some are made with only cocoa powder. I like to melt my butter, sugar, cocoa powder, half of my chocolate and then follow it by other ingredients and add the other half of chocolate in chopped form towards the end .This provides so much more depth to the brownies.  So let’s get started…

Ingredients: (Serves 16)

• Dark chocolate- 80 grams; chopped
• Unsalted butter- 200 grams; cubed
• Eggs- 3; room temperature
• Unsweetened cocoa powder- 1 cup or 85 grams 
• Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
• Granulated sugar- 1 ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons or 380 grams (Make sure you use sugar with small sized granules. If the granules are big whiz measure it and then whiz it up until you get smaller granules but not powder)
• Plain/ All-purpose flour- ¾ cup +2 tablespoons or 117 grams
• Vanilla extract- 1 1/4 teaspoon
• Walnuts- 100 grams; chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160° C. Line a 9 inch square tin or even a round tin would do if you don’t have a square tin. Line the tin with aluminium foil making sure there is overhanging foil on the sides. If you wish you can use parchment paper which has been greased well instead but I advise using foil because it is easy to lift the brownie from the pan once cooled. If it is parchment paper, you will have to release the sides with a knife and there are chances of it slightly sticking.

Add the cocoa powder, sugar, butter, 40 grams of the chocolate and salt to a heat safe glass bowl and place over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) and allow the butter and chocolate to melt. Initially the mixture will be clumpy but it will loosen a bit; about 2 minutes. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Also, allow the sugar to just start melting. The sugar will not completely melt and the mixture will still be a bit grainy and gritty but that is perfectly fine.

Keep it aside to cool a bit until the mixture feels just a little warm to the touch of your finger; about 8-10 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat it in vigorously with a wooden spoon or a whisk. The mixture will start to thicken and become shiny. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Beat it until it has completely combined. Add the flour and beat in vigorously 30-35 strokes.  Add the other half of the chopped chocolate and chopped walnuts and fold the mixture. The batter will be thick and a little grainy but do not worry because that is how it should be.

Pour the batter into the lined tin, sprinkle some more chopped walnuts if you wish and bake in the oven for 33-37 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. It is okay if you get a tiny bit of thick batter because that will settle and set as it cools. But if you get quite a bit of batter, bake it for a few more minutes. Allow it to cool in the tin for 40-45 minutes. Then carefully flip it onto a plate or plate and peel off the aluminium foil. Refrigerate for at least 35-40 minutes or so and then cut it. This will help to get clean cuts by helping it to set. Cut into 16 squares (4 rows and 4 columns) with a sharp knife. For a neater cut you can dip the knife in hot water for a few seconds, wipe the excess water and then cut but I like it to be a little rustic so I cut it with just a knife.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or with a glass of milk or just on their own! 🙂

NOTE- Use a sharp knife for slicing the brownie and chill it well because otherwise it will be difficult to cut. The brownie is meant to be fudgy, dense and a bit gooey because that is how fudgy brownies are supposed to be so do not expect a cakey, less fudgy brownie.