Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine. The first issue came today, and the cover has a delicious looking recipe for brownies. Happily enough, we had all of the ingredients in the house, so after a day that started with a walk and breakfast at Noah’s, and progressed into a viewing of The King’s Speech, Ted decided to make the day even better by mixing up a batch of brownies. Results? Are they the best brownies ever?

• Ted would have liked a more milk chocolate taste, but he enjoyed the nutty element.
• I thought they were just about perfect, though perhaps some chocolate chips thrown in would have made them even better.
• Maya liked them, said they were good, but she’s never liked nuts, and between the browned butter and the walnuts, they have a very nutty flavor.

So if you like brownies, and especially if you like brownies with nuts, give this recipe a try.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
These are some of the best brownies we’ve ever had—fudgy in the middle and chewy on the outside with a shiny, crackly top. The browned butter adds a rich, nutty flavor.

Ingredients
* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs, chilled
* 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
* 1 cup walnut pieces

Preparation
Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

* PREP TIME: 20 minutes
* TOTAL TIME: 4 hour 50 minutes (includes cooling time)
* Recipe by Alice Medrich