Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: North American

Keyword: brownies, chocolate, chocolate ganache

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 30

Servings:

Calories: 798kcal

Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownies are made with black cocoa powder and covered in two forms of chocolate ganache to create a decadent dessert.

Preheat an oven to 350°F (177°C).
Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with baking spray and set it aside.

In a 3-quart saucier, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat.
Add the sugar and kosher salt to the pot once most of the butter is melted.
Decrease the temperature to medium-low.
Stir the butter and sugar mixture with a whisk for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring often. The sugar will begin to melt into the butter and create what looks like sludge in the pot.
Whisk the black cocoa powder into the pot once that sludge forms.
Remove the pot from the stove and set it on a trivet on the counter. Allow the mixture to cool for a full 5 minutes.
Add the espresso and vanilla extract to the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
Use a whisk to stir everything together until the mixture looks velvety smooth.
Quickly whisk the eggs, one at a time, into the chocolate mixture.
Add the next egg only after fully incorporating the previous one.
Use a fine-mesh sieve to sift the all-purpose flour into the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
Use a rubber spatula or a whisk to blend the flour into the chocolate mixture for about 1 minute.
Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish.
Bake the brownies at 350°F (177°C) for 40 minutes.

Heat the heavy cream for 1 1/2 minutes in a microwave-safe pitcher with at least 4 inches of headspace in case the cream boils.
Stir the cognac into the heavy cream with a whisk.
Place the chopped chocolate into a 3-quart mixing bowl and pour the hot cream over it.
Allow the cream and chocolate to sit for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate.
Stir the chocolate and cream together until smooth after 5 minutes.
Remove 1 cup of the chocolate ganache from the rest of the ganache. This cup will be the fluid ganache.
Allow the ganache to cool completely to room temperature.

When done baking, the center of the brownies will have a slight bulge, but this will deflate once it's out of the oven.
The brownies are done baking when the edges look dry and pull away from the pan slightly.
Allow the brownies to cool completely, or for about 30 minutes.

Use the beater attachment of a hand mixer to whip the larger quantity of ganache on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
The ganache will go from a dark brown color to a light, nutty brown color and look fluffy.

Use an offset spatula to spread the whipped chocolate ganache over the surface of the completely cool brownies.
*Chill the brownies if it's a really hot day for 10-15 minutes to firm up the ganache.
Heat the reserved chocolate ganache in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir to make sure it's fluid and pourable. Heat it again for 10-second intervals if it isn't.
Drizzle the fluid chocolate ganache over the whipped ganache, and your dark chocolate fudgy brownies are ready to serve.

To make dairy-free brownies: replace the butter with vegetable or canola oil. You also need to omit the ganache.
You can cut the amount of black cocoa in half and replace it with regular dutch-processed cocoa. This will give your brownies a more chocolaty flavor.
You can substitute the espresso with strong coffee.
Replace the semi-sweet chocolate with dark chocolate.

It's important that your chocolate mixture is warm and that you whisk in your eggs quickly. Brownie mix that is too hot curdles the eggs, so working fast is important.
Line the brownie pan with parchment paper after greasing it because to get clean edges on your brownies.
You can't use the "toothpick test" on fudgy brownies because the center will be slightly gooey when it comes out of the oven.
If it's a hot day, put the ganache for whipping in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up a little bit.
You don't have to top your brownies with any of the ganache. You can just cover it with the whipped or fluid ganache, or leave the brownies naked.

You can make chocolate ganache up to 1 week before you use it.
Store prepared chocolate ganache in an airtight food container in the fridge.
To melt it again:
1. Set a metal or glass mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl.
2. As the ganache melts, use your whisk to stir to combine it into a smooth sauce.

To freeze brownies, bake them in a freezer-safe dish.
Once cool, wrap the dish containing the frosted brownies in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Freeze the brownies for up to 2 months.
To thaw them, remove the dish from the freezer and thaw them at room temperature.