Lee Lee’s Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies

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Pastry chef Lee Lee Reid is a self-proclaimed brownie aficionado. “I’m always looking for that perfect chew,” she says. Needless to say, the chocolate chunk brownie recipe she developed, which customers can find at her husband’s bakeshop, Nathaniel Reid Bakery in St. Louis, is the ideal balance of cakey and fudgy—falling in line with Nathaniel’s own baking philosophy. “I like to be innovative,” he says, “but I also like doing things that people understand and making it the best they’ve ever had.” While many recipes call for creaming the butter and sugar before adding the eggs, Lee Lee Reid whips eggs and sugar together to aerate them, leading to the ultimate brownie consistency. A brownie will only be as good as the cocoa and chocolate used, so be sure to source the best, like Valrhona. For the cleanest cut, wipe off crumbs and spray your knife with cooking spray in between slices.

Lee Lee's Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Photo: Greg DuPree
Active Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 45 mins
Yield:
20
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Ingredients

  • Cooking spray

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/4 ounces)

  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (such as Valrhona)

  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate wafers (such as Valrhona Caraïbe 66% Cacao), divided

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (6 ounces), melted

  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13- x 9-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on all sides. Lightly coat parchment paper with cooking spray. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

  2. Melt 1 cup chocolate wafers over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring often, until smooth. Combine granulated sugar, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until frothy and light caramel in color, about 1 minute.

  3. With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour melted chocolate into egg mixture. Fold in flour mixture until incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top. Roughly chop remaining 1/3 cup chocolate wafers, and sprinkle over top of batter. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack at least 2 hours. Using parchment, remove brownies from pan. Cut into 20 rectangles.

Make Ahead

Brownies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Originally appeared: March 2019

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