Bakery-Style Brownies
There are two secrets to this brownie recipe; first, the powdered sugar in place of regular granulated sugar, which gives these brownies a dense, fudgy texture. Second, the cocoa powder is "bloomed," which means that the cocoa is added to a warm liquidāin this case, oilāstirred until it is lump-free and then set aside to sit for a few minutes. The cocoa dissolves and becomes fragrant, making for an insanely delicious brownie reminiscent of your favorite bakery. A word of advice: use a hand mixer for this recipe as the chocolate-oil mixture needs to emulsify; once well mixed, it will bake up as smooth and tasty as can be.
š½ļø Makes 16
Ingredients
| ā cup (160 ml) | canola oil |
| ā cup (50 g) | unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder |
| Ā½ cup (60 g) | all-purpose flour |
| Ā¼ tsp | baking powder |
| Ā½ tsp | kosher salt |
| 3 | large eggs |
| 1ā cups (160 g) | powdered sugar, plus more for topping, optional |
| ā cup (150 g) | dark brown sugar |
| 1 tsp | vanilla extract |
Instructions
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes Ā· Yield: 16 brownies
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325Ā°F (160Ā°C). Coat a 9 x 9-inch (22 x 22-cm) pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Place the oil into a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on low power in 5-second bursts four to six times until the oil is warm but not hot. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until completely smooth and combined. Let sit for 4 to 5 minutes so the cocoa can bloom. Meanwhile, prepare the dry and wet ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt to combine; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, powdered sugar and dark brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and lighter in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla until just combined.
- Add the cocoa mixture to the egg mixture and mix at medium-high speed until shiny and fully combined, about 5 minutes. Add the flour mixture to the egg and cocoa mixture and mix at low speed until fully combined. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread the batter into an even layer.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes (you can bake for up to 30 minutes if you like a firmer brownie with some crisp edges). The brownies will pull away from the edges of the pan, but a cake tester or knife inserted in the middle will not come out clean. Let cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar, if using, and cutting into 16 squares.