I absolutely love chocolate walnut brownies. Let’s face it, I love brownies in general. When I was younger we used to make brownies from the recipe off the dutch processed cocoa powder box. Those brownies are reminiscent of my childhood. Nothing was better than coming home to finding a plate of the brownies sitting on the table.
However, as I got older, the brownies tended to become more cake-like and slightly dry. I don’t know if the recipe changed, or maybe my tastes changed, but I was on the hunt for a bigger and better brownie.
I like my brownies to be a mix between fudgy and cakey. I don’t want something so fugdey that it’s just overwhelming to eat. And I do not particularly like eating a brownie that just tastes like cake without the frosting. In the past, I struggled with different recipes. Each recipe promised me the perfectly balanced brownie. Some touted that they were to die for, or even good enough to steal your boyfriend. Side note – no boyfriends were stolen. In the end, I accepted defeat. Maybe I would just never find the perfect brownie recipe.
That is until I fiddled around with an old recipe I had to create my almost perfect chocolate walnut brownies.
Almost Perfect? How come they aren’t just Perfect?
I named this recipe almost perfect brownies for two reasons. First, I think it would be foolish to call these perfect and then end up disappointing you guys. Remember the steal your boyfriend brownies? No boyfriends came knocking on my door. So it would be unfortunate for me to promise you something and your experience be different. Especially with brownies! I find them to be so finicky.
The second reason is that you have to dust off your kitchen scale and measure an ingredient in grams. I know I know. See it was almost too good to be true – the perfect fudgy brownie. That is why these guys are almost perfect because you have to weigh the chocolate in grams – which yields to better accuracy and a tastier brownie.
I did include the translation of the grams to cups amount but I encourage you to actually measure out the chocolate this time. Trust me when I say it is worth it!
And finally the few spices and essences I add to this recipe (combined with the walnuts), makes for such a delicious and indulgent brownie! So go ahead and give this recipe a try.
Almost Perfect Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Chocolate Walnut Brownies
These chocolate walnut brownies have the right balance between being fudgy and cakey. They have the perfect crackle on top and the sprinkle of sea salt enhances the chocolatey flavour!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 220 grams dark chocolate (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1/3 + 2 tbsp cup brown sugar
- 2/3 + 2tbsp cup cane sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp coffee extract
- 1/2 tsp chocolate extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp chili powder (optional but I love the flavour it imparts)
- 1 + 2tbsp cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate together over medium-low heat, until the butter and chocolate are melted. Remove from heat and pour into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in the sugars.
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Add one egg at a time, whisking for 1 minute after each addition. Stir in the vanilla, coffee, chocolate and almond extract. Add in the cinnamon and chili powder. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Fold the ingredients until just mixed. Add in the walnuts and mix. Pour batter into prepared dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the center comes out almost clean. A few crumbs should stick to the toothpick.
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Remove and let cool in the dish for 10 minutes. Lift the brownies by the sides of the parchment paper and let rest on a wire rack until completely cool. Sprinkle the tops with sea salt. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
I absolutely hate using my kitchen scale and measuring ingredients by the gram - it really kills me. However, I really encourage you to measure out the chocolate by the gram measurement. This accuracy leads to a denser fudgier brownie as opposed to just eye-balling the measurements. Trust me, I am all for eye-baling things... but the real secret is to get the perfect gram measurement. Trust me it is worth it!
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE brownies. And I couldn’t be happier to have developed a recipe that in my eyes is perfect. And I just couldn’t wait to share it with you! I hope that you love this recipe as much as I do. Nothing is better than a chewy and chocolately brownie. The kind that has crispy edges and a softer center. If you guys give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes! I guarantee they won’t last long! 🙂
