Brown Butter Cocoa Brownies with Cacao Nibs & Pecans

I have a deep and abiding love for brownies. They are so friggin' good. I started making them at age 11 with some much appreciated guidance from Duncan Hines, and until I got to college, it never even occurred to me that I could make them from scratch. But then I did make them from scratch ... and my whole world changed. Homemade brownies are so easy and forgiving, they require only a handful of ingredients, and they taste like heaven. Brownies are also very versatile: you can make lots of substitutions, tweak measurements to get a different texture, and the results will still be delicious.

I realize that there is a battle of sorts when it comes to this delectable chocolatey treat, but I only believe in one kind of brownie. Fudgey. (Cakey brownies make me sad.) There are no other brownies, so we won't discuss the matter any further! And on that note, well, I wanted to name this recipe "Extra Chewy Fudgey & Nutty Brown Butter Cocoa Brownies with Cacao Nibs & Pecans (and Optional Chocolate Chips)" but it looked really cluttered as the title of the post, and it was a little long. However, it does describe these brownies perfectly! They are not for the faint of heart. 

The chewiness is accomplished by replacing all purpose flour with bread flour and mixing the batter with extra enthusiasm. Bread flour has a higher protein content, which translates to more gluten development, which means more chew! Gluten molecules join together once they are mixed with a liquid, and mixing the batter helps them to form stronger bonds and better structure. The nuttiness comes from browning the butter and the addition of pecans and cacao nibs.

Tom was pretty adamant that they were better with chocolate chips in addition to cacao nibs, and who am I to argue? The chocolate chips are completely obligatory optional. You can also choose the type of cocoa you want to use, I have used raw cacao, natural cocoa and dutched cocoa in this recipe and all three worked beautifully. I liked the natural cocoa best for its bright and deeply chocolate flavor. The dutched cocoa was a bit darker and tasted more like Oreos, and the raw cacao was fruitier and more acidic.

Brown Butter Cocoa Brownies with Cacao Nibs & Pecans    

Adapted from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich

Kitchen Soundtrack: Daytime Winter Olympics Coverage (I'm obsessed.)

Makes 16 brownies.

Ingredients:

• 140g or 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 250g or 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 70g or loosely packed ¾ cup cocoa, preferably natural
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, cold from the fridge
• 50g or ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp bread flour
• 100g or 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• small handful of cacao nibs
• small handful chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F, and put a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line an 8x8 metal baking pan with aluminum foil and grease with butter.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan, brown the butter over medium heat. The butter will melt, froth, and the milk solids will sink to the bottom and turn a rusty brown color. 
3. Immediately add the sugar, cocoa, salt, water and vanilla and mix well (I use a whisk). Allow to cool for a few minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time whisking after each one until fully incorporated. The batter should look glossy and smooth.
5. Add the flour, and with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir the mixture until the flour is incorporated, then stir energetically for 2 or 3 minutes more (yay gluten!). Stir in pecans.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into the edges and corners. Scatter cacao nibs and chocolate chips on top.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes until the top looks set and a cake tester comes out almost clean. 
8. Cool on a rack. Cut into 16 pieces. Satisfy that chocolate craving. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.