Brown Butter Espresso Brownies with Sea Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175 °C (oven) for 15 min and line a 20×20 cm pan with baking paper overhanging two sides. Finely chop the melting chocolate and roughly chop the folding chocolate into 1 cm pieces; keep them separate.

   oven

2. Put the butter in a light-coloured 16 cm saucepan over medium heat for 5 min. It will melt, foam and crackle; when the crackling quietens, the milk solids at the bottom turn hazelnut brown and it smells nutty. Take it off the heat immediately and add the finely chopped chocolate, cocoa and espresso powder, stirring until smooth in the residual heat. Leave to cool for 10 minutes until warm.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter 135 gDark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), for melting 120 gUnsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed if possible) 25 gInstant espresso powder 1 tsp

   medium heat

3. In a large bowl, whip the eggs, both sugars, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer on high for 5 min, until pale, almost doubled in volume and falling in a thick ribbon that folds onto itself. This is the secret of the shiny, crackly top.

   Add in this stepEggs, at room temperature 2Granulated sugar 140 gLight brown sugar 60 gVanilla extract 1 tspSalt 3 pinch

4. Turn the mixer to low and pour in the chocolate butter in a thin stream. Sift in the flour and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains, then fold in the chopped chocolate.

   Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 60 gDark chocolate, roughly chopped, for folding in 60 g

5. Scrape the batter into the 20×20 cm pan, level it, scatter the flaky salt evenly and bake at oven for 24 min, until the edges are set, the centre has a slight wobble and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. As soon as it comes out, drop the pan once onto the counter from about 10 cm; the centre settles and turns even fudgier.

   Add in this stepFlaky sea salt 2 pinch

   oven

6. Cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then chill, 2 h in total; cold brownies cut cleanly. Cut into 9 pieces with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts, and let them sit 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.