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I think a good brownie recipe is actually kind of hard to come by. Some are too cakey, some too dry, some taste like cocoa powder and others just taste like booty. For me, well I think these are way too stinkin’ rich. I think they have fantastic flavor, perfectly moist, but too rich. In fact I use half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips just to tone it down a bit. Now, most of you probably loooove rich, I prefer strawberry shortcake or a berry trifle for dessert so I guess you can’t really take my opinion. My husband LOOOOOVES Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies recipe. It’s the most requested brownie recipe at my house. I bet you’ll love it too.
How Can You Tell When Brownies Are Done?
For cake-like brownies, take them out of the oven when the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
A toothpick inserted near the center of the brownies will come out clean when brownies are at a cake-like consistency.
For fudgy brownies, bake within the suggested baking time.
A toothpick inserted into fudgy brownies will come out with a few moist crumbs attached.
For very fudgy brownies, remove from the oven at the minimum baking time.
A toothpick inserted into very fudgy brownies will come out covered in moist crumbs, but not batter.
How Long Will Brownies Keep?
Store cut brownie squares in an airtight container at room temperature; they’re best eaten within 1 to 2 days.
Uncut brownies, wrapped well with plastic wrap or foil will keep for 2-4 days at room temperature.
Can You Freeze Brownies?
To freeze brownies or bar cookies, cool brownies or bar cookies completely, but do not cut into individual servings.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap again with foil.
Brownies or bar cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies
Ingredients
By Ina, herself
- 1 Pound Unsalted Butter
- 1 Pound Semisweet Chocolate Chips, plus 12 ounces
- 6 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
- 6 Extra- Large Eggs
- 3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules, we omit this
- 2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/4 Cups Sugar
- 1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3 Cups Chopped Walnuts, we omit these
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.
- Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water.1 Pound Unsalted Butter, 1 Pound Semisweet Chocolate Chips, 6 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
- Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar.6 Extra- Large Eggs, 3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules, 2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract, 2 1/4 Cups Sugar
- Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In another medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt.1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the cooled chocolate mixture.
- Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter.3 Cups Chopped Walnuts
- Pour everything into the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Making a half recipe & using a 9x13pan yields thin, thin brownies.
A 12×18 pan has 14 cups of batter. A 9×13 pan has 15 cups batter.
To half the recipe you need an 7 cup pan or an 8×8 pan.
I made the mistake of not checking volume of baking dishes and was sorry.
Hi Kathleen! Thanks for the tips!
I plan on making these this weekend! Made them a few times but years ago- they are incredible. What do you think about omitting the walnuts and adding a layer of mint frosting on top? Too heavy/rich?
I am trying to recreate some mint-frosted brownies that I discovered on Cape Cod and am not sure which brownie recipe to use with the frosting! Would love your two cents 🙂
Hi Meredith! You could definitely add a layer of mint frosting! It is so good! Use the recipe from this post for the frosting: https://ohsweetbasil.com/copycat-byu-mint-brownies-from-scratch-recipe/
Let us know how it goes!
with the brownies.. I think you omitted some of the chocolate right? I just want to be clear. I will put in 1 pound and 12 oz chocolate
Yes, it needs 1 pound AND 12oz of chocolate.
In one reply you said to half the recipe in a 9 x 13 pan and in another you said to use an 8 x 8 OR 9 x 9.
All very different. Which one is best and what baking time would be best for very fudgey brownies?
Thank you so much!
Hi Jeanne! It will half best in a 9×13 pan to match the thickness as the original recipe. In a 8×8 or 9×9, they will be very thick. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe have made it several times. I never use the coffee. I would like to make this gluten free will almond flour work.
Hi Mickey! I’m so glad you have enjoyed these. I haven’t ever tried to make them gluten free, but it is worth a shot! Using almond flour will just change the texture a little.
these are the best brownies I’ve ever made!!! Everyone loves them
Aren’t they divine? That Ina knows her stuff!!
OMG, why would you omit the coffee? That’s the best part! I’m not a chocolate lover, but I do love these.
Hey Tina! I know people swear by the coffee in brownies and chocolate cake! For religious reasons, we don’t use coffee or tea products in our baking, but feel free to us it yourself!!
Right, because the coffee really heightens the flavor of the chocolate in this recipe.
This is not Ina’s recipe. If you look at her book, she has an additional 12 ounces of chocolate chips added to her batter. She’ll go thru the roof!
The recipes match exactly when I compare the two. So delicious!
Can I halve the recipe ? If so what size pan would I need to use?
Yes, you can definitely half it. Bake it in a 9×13″ pan.
Do you think I could substitute the sugar with Monkefruit or Swerve?
I haven’t tried substitute sugar with monkefruit in this particular recipe, but I have in other recipes and it has worked great. I would say it is definitely worth a shot! I’ve never used Swerve, so I can’t speak to that product.