Ina's Outrageous Brownies

Ina wasn't kidding. These really are OUTRAGEOUS! Wow. One bite of these brownies and you will be hopped up on enough chocolate to last 3 days. These brownies are seriously incredible. I've heard a lot about these brownies, and this recipe has been staring me in the face in one of Ina's cookbooks that I own. So, the Fourth of July BBQ I went to this weekend was the perfect opportunity to test out a recipe that would yield a LOT of servings. I'd say this makes far more than the 20 servings Ina's cookbook declares. These brownies are just so rich that the serving sizes really need to be smaller than what Ina cuts them to, and therefore will yield more than 20 brownies.

First, when you read the ingredient list you'll notice a pound of butter. Then, you'll notice that this recipe calls for OVER two pounds of chocolate. TWO POUNDS! But, man, it was fun having all that chocolate in my pantry. I have to admit, I was excited - really excited - to be trying this recipe. So excited that, when I started melting the butter and chocolate, I didn't approach it properly. I was so anxious to start that I just dumped the chocolate in the bowl, then just plopped the four sticks of butter right on top of the chocolate. If I did it again, I'd start by melting the butter a quarter of the way or so, THEN add the chocolate. My method this first go around made melting the butter/chocolate a little more tedious and long. At any rate, melting the chocolate is probably the trickiest part of the prep - you don't want to overheat the chocolate, and don't let any water/steam from the double boiler get into the chocolate. The rest of the recipe came together easily. And, the instant coffee nicely rounds out the flavors of the chocolate. It is essential.

I made this in a large 9x13 pyrex AND an 8x8 pyrex. They ended up being a little thicker than what would come out of the pan Ina recommended, so they took a little longer to bake. I was quite concerned about over cooking them, so I pulled them out probably a little earlier than I needed too. However I did notice that the brownies in the smaller pan were a little more done than the large pan, and as a result, were a bit more crumbly. Definitely do not overbake, and definitely refrigerate. GO MAKE THESE BROWNIES!

Here's Ina's recipe on Food Network, and can be seen in her cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Enjoy!