Step 1

You know your oven. Preheat to 350 degrees when the time is right.

Step 2

In a bowl, put one pound of chocolate chips, the unsweetened chocolate and 1 pound of butter (4 sticks). I didn’t cut the butter – just put the whole sticks in the bowl. NOTE: chocolate chips are typically sold in 12 ounce bags. So you’re adding one 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips to the bowl, PLUS 4 ounces. I didn’t bust out my scale – I guesstimated at about another heaping ½ cup of chocolate chips.

Step 3

On your stovetop should be a large pot with water filling about 3-4 inches on the bottom. Get that water hot and place the bowl with the butter and chocolate on top of it. My video shows this well. This is called a double boiler. The steam from the water will melt the butter and chocolate. This will take 25-30 minutes. I checked it at 10-minute intervals to stir and combine as it melted.

Step 4

Butter and flour a sheet pan (17.75 inch x 12.875 inch x 1 inch) or as close as you can get to this size. You can buy one cheap at Target for about $See tips and tricks section of blog post. I posted a picture of the sheet pan with the dimensions on it.

Step 5

In a large bowl add the eggs, instant espresso powder (or instant coffee granules), vanilla and sugar. Ina cautioned NOT to “beat” the mixture, but stir it together. Using a whisk was a good tool for this, but be gentle.

Step 6

After mixing the eggs, check on your melting chocolate and butter and give a stir and move things around a little. Then leave it and let it go back to melting on its own.

Step 7

Sift ONE CUP of all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. The other ¼ cup of flour is for something else.

Step 8

In a separate bowl, add a 12-ounce bag of semisweet chocolate chips and sift ¼ cup of all-purpose flour into the bowl. Toss the chocolate chips to coat in the flour. If you are using the chopped walnuts you should add them to the bowl with the chocolate chips and toss with flour.

Step 9

Do your second check on the chocolate and butter melting and give it all a good stir. Ten minutes later do your final check on the chocolate and butter and it should be completely melted and smooth. The mixtures isn’t hot, but it is warm. Remove from heat and carefully remove top bowl to let it cool down slightly - about 10 minutes.

Step 10

Now add the warm chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine completely and let cool to room temperature. This took maybe 15 minutes to cool down.

Step 11

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.

Step 12

Add the chocolate chips and flour and mix to combine until you can see no more white flour anywhere.

Step 13

Pour the brownie batter onto your floured and buttered sheet pan and distribute evenly across the bottom and to all corners of the sheet pan.

Step 14

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Then you must open the oven, and carefully (with potholders) rap the sheet pan onto the oven rack 1-2 two times so the air between the brownies and the pan will be released. Close the oven and cook another 15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 15

Ina suggests letting the brownies cool completely, then refrigerate, and then cut them. This is your call. It’s hard to resist cutting into warm brownies so I will leave this at your discretion. I’ve done it both ways. I usually cut them when they are still warm, I must admit. But for this video I DID chill them and they were slightly easier to cut.

Step 16

If you are eating the brownies out of the refrigerator – microwave them for 10-15 seconds so they are warm. This is how they taste the best!!!