Salty Fudge Brownies

I'm not a chocoholic, but every now and then people need brownies the way a cat needs her catnip.

They're a guilty pleasure. The kind that makes us want to stretch out in the sun and purrr with happiness, just before taking a smug little nap.

I love to enjoy my brownie(s) with a tall glass of milk and small dose of privacy. (Please. At least for 10 minutes.)

These are proper brownies. Not the boring kind of proper, but the very naughty, fudgy, salty, I'm-skipping-my-workout (and lovin' it!), kind of proper.

I was so twitchy with anticipation, that I didn't bother to go out and buy the required Maldon salt. Instead I used regular, under-rated coarse sea salt. The results were stellar. I don't think it would be possible to surpass the amount of goodness that took place in my mouth after biting into these darlings.

Since the brownies are on the decadently rich end of the chocolate spectrum, I recommend hoarding the entire 9 x 9-inch pan. Inhale the love somewhere quite and safe, and where you can easily plot a ninja-like path to the fridge for extra cold milk.

Salty Fudge Brownies
makes about 12-14 brownies

ingredients
12 Tablespoons (that's 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
2 cups sugar
3 room temperature eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt (any flaked or coarse sea salt is fine)

method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a foil-lined, 9 x 9-inch square baking pan.
Create a double boiler: Combine butter and the 2 ounces of chopped chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan that's filled with about 1-inch of simmering water. (Make sure that the bowl is not touching the water.) Stirring occasionally, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan.
To the bowl of melted butter and chocolate; One at a time, add the cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour. Whisk well after each addition.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the salt in an even layer and use a butter knife to gently swirl the salt into the batter.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the edges are set and only a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick inserted into the center. *{Note: My brownies took an extra agonizing 15 minutes to bake. If you notice that the edges are baked before the center is ready, cover them lightly with foil.}
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, and then place the pan into the fridge for at least 3 hours before slicing.

*Because I didn't have any foil to cover the pan, my brownie edges were a bit too toasty. I sliced off the crispy parts, crumbled them up, and sprinkled them over the fudgy parts. Also, I added more salt for the sake of photography. (And because I love salt.)

adapted from food & wine