I very literally went through 7 versions of this recipe, and everyone that breezed through that week was stuffed with chocolate. I think that this final version had just the right amount of chewy fudginess in the center. The top still had that flakiness, and the toasted walnuts were the perfect balance to the sweetness. As I mention in all of these chocolate recipes, the chocolate or coco that you use is a big part of the recipe. This is an area where high quality ingredients will really make a difference in the flavor.

Brownies

-8 oz high quality bittersweet chocolate (I prefer chocolate with 60-70% coco), finely chopped
-1 cup, plus 2 Tbs soft unsalted butter
-3 cups white sugar
-1 Tbs Vanilla
-4 Large eggs
-1 1/3 cups AP flour
-6 Tbs unsweetened coco powder
(My favorite brand is Valhrona 100% Cacao- it is the most beautiful dark red color, and has the best flavor)
-2 cups lightly toasted walnuts
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Take a 12×16″ sheet pan, (a cookie pan with sides) and put a sheet of parchment paper down on the bottom of the pan. I then spray the top of the parchment, and the sides of the pan with non-stick baking spray.

3) Take the chopped chocolate and place it in a double boiler, or a glass bowl placed over a saucepan of water.

4) Heat the water to a simmer, and let the steam gently melt the chocolate. Frequently whisk the chocolate until it is smooth. Remove the chocolate from the heat and set aside to cool.

5) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the butter, vanilla and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in one at a time, until they are completely mixed in, then slowly beat in the cooled melted chocolate.

6) Sift the flour and coco together, and then slowly add it to the batter, mixing in until it is just combined.

7) Add the walnuts and the chocolate chips, and fold them in with a spatula or spoon.

8) Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and spread evenly to the edges.

9) Bake the brownies for about 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Do not over bake!

10) When the brownies are finished, let them cool completely before cutting into them for the cleanest cut.

Makes 24 large brownies