ESPRESSO BROWNIES

Espresso Brownies

“Dark, rich, incredibly chocolaty. Bittersweet. The sour cream in these
in most unusual in brownies; it makes the brownies divinely moist and
fudge-like. Variations of this recipe have been with me all my life. These
are great brownies either with or without the espresso.”

24 large brownies

2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) walnuts
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus
additional for greasing pan
4 eggs graded “large”
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup sifted unbleached flour
1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
(preferably Dutch process)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
(I use Medaglia D’Oro)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sour cream

Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a 10 1/2-by-15 1/2-by-1-inch jelly-roll pan as follows: Place the pan upside down on a work surface/ Place a 19-inch length of 12-inch-wide aluminum foil shiny side down over the pan, centering it carefully so the borders are all the same. Fold down the sides and corners to shape
the foil. Remove the foil. Run cold tap water into the pan to wet it all over. Pour out the excess water but do not shake or dry the pan. Place the shaped foil in the wet pan (the wet pan holds the foil in place). To butter the foil, place a piece of butter in the pan and place the pan in the oven to melt the butter. Then spread the butter with a piece of crumpled plastic wrap or
wax paper to coat the foil all over. Set the prepared pan aside.
To toast the nuts: Spread them in a single layer in a large shallow pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven until the nuts are just about
too hot to touch. Cool. Break into large pieces and set aside.
Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a double boiler over hot
water on moderate heat. Cover and let heat until the chocolate and butter
are almost melted. Then uncover and stir until smooth.
Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside.
In the small bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs to mix. On low speed gradually add the sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and espresso and set aside.
In a small cup stir the vanilla into the sour cream. Add to the egg mixture
and mix only briefly. Transfer the egg mixture to the large bowl of the
electric mixer. Then, all at once, add the warm chocolate mixture and the sifted dry ingredients and beat together on low speed – scraping the bowl frequently with a rubber spatula – only until just barely mixed, no longer.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the walnuts, and fold them in with
a rubber spatula.
Turn into the prepared pan and spread as smooth as possible.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle
comes out dry – do not overbake or underbake.
Remove the pan from the oven. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then cover the
pan with a large rack and turn the pan and the rack upside down. Remove
the pan and the foil. Let the cake cool upside down.
When cool, chill the cake for about 45 minutes in the freezer or longer in
the refrigerator.
Cover the cold cake with a large rack or a flat-sided cookie sheet and turn upside down, leaving the cake right side up. Transfer the cake to a cutting board and, with a rule and toothpicks, mark it into quarters. With a long-bladed sharp knife or a serrated bread knife cut into quarters – and then
cut each quarter into 6 brownies.
Wrap individually in clear cellophane or wax paper.