I’ll start by saying that brownies, in general, don’t thrill me. I’m perfectly happy to have one but I have yet to eat a brownie that really knocked my socks off. The virtue of the Brown Butter Brownie lies in its simplicity, ease of preparation and the use of cocoa (which is a staple in my home) rather than chocolate that needs to be chopped and melted. These satisfied a serious chocolate craving, so while I may not spend my nights dreaming about them, they are a good go-to if you want an easy yet tasty chocolate treat.
10 T unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa (ordinary stuff- not Dutch process or any fancy business)
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 T unbleached flour (I don’t know why this is called for rather than all-purpose flour)
2 t water
1/4 t salt
1 cup chopped walnuts.
Line an 8X8 metal baking pan with 2 pieces of foil in both directions, leaving an overhang. Spray with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and brown bits form at the bottom of the pan, stirring often and taking care not to burn the butter (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and immediately add the sugar, cocoa, water , vanilla and salt. Stir to blend and add eggs, beating well to form a shiny thick mixture. Stir in the flour followed by the nuts. Bake at 325ยบ for 25 minutes. Cool and using foil overhang, lift brownies out of pan. Cut into 16 pieces.