"Mexican" Brownies

Okay, let's be clear. There's nothing Mexican about these brownies at all, except for the fact that they've got little Mexican flags stuck in them....A couple of weeks ago I went to a birthday/Cinco de Mayo party for a friend of mine. I figured brownies were a good treat to bring. I happened to be in a cake supply shop the morning I made the brownies and spotted these little flags and thus my Mexican brownies were born.

These brownies are rich, very dense, and wonderfully chocolatey. They've got that thin, crackly top and chewy texture that I love about brownies from boxed mixes, but is entirely from scratch, so you know exactly what's going in it. Best of all, it's a one-bowl recipe!

The recipe is from Brown Eyed Baker, and adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
  • 1½ teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
  • ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups (17½ ounces) sugar
  • 1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into ½-inch pieces
Directions
  1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Whisk cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.
  3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.
  4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
    (Makes 24 brownies)

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