Alton Brown’s Cocoa Powder Brownies
I tried Alton Brown’s method and I’ve got a new go-to brownie now.
you're making mealtime meaningful.
I think I’ve learned more about cooking from Alton Brown than maybe anyone else out there. (I watched A LOT of hours of Good Eats in the early 2000s. Like, a lot.) His science-based cooking approach is entertaining, sure, but his recipes also turn out delicious food. There are a number of his recipes that I’ve been making for twenty years now! So it’s no surprise that when I’m looking for an outstanding brownie recipe that will stand up to other celebrity brownie recipes, I’d look to him.
We made these brownies as a part of our Celebrity Brownie Recipe Showdown. The showdown is a fun project where we take four celebrity recipes — some celebrity chefs, some not so much — cook them, and then taste and compare them to see how they stack up. This match-up included Kris Jenner, Gordon Ramsay, Alton Brown, and Snoop Dogg. They were all very different and delicious in their own right.
What’s In Alton Brown’s Brownies?
For Alton’s brownies, you don’t need a ton of ingredients. They’re a cocoa powder brownie, so you don’t need any other kind of chocolate, and aside from that you’ll just need some flour, brown and white sugar, butter, eggs, and a touch of vanilla. Simple is best!
How Do You Make Alton Brown’s Brownies?
The method is simple too. Alton has you use a stand or electric mixer to first emulsify the eggs. You want to start by beating them until they’re light and fluffy, which takes a few minutes. Then, you’ll add in the sugars and mix, and the remaining ingredients and mix again. You don’t want to overbeat and add too much air to the batter or you’ll end up with a cakey consistency.
They bake for about 45 minutes.
How Do They Taste?
They’re delicious. Maybe my perfect brownie.
They’re rich and so very fudgy with a crackly top, which is just what you’re looking for with a brownie. The flavor tastes deeply of chocolate and isn’t too sweet. And best of all, you don’t have to melt chocolate over a double boiler or chop up a chocolate bar or anything to get there. These are easy enough that you can make them on a whim anytime. (And I will. Many, many times.)
To see how this stacked up in the Celebrity Recipe Showdown, click here!
Alton Brown's Cocoa Powder Brownies
Yield(s): Yields 16 brownies
15m prep time
45m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- Butter, softened for greasing the pan
- Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar, sifted
- 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, melted
- 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 300°F and butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a mixing bowl and a hand mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until fluffy and light yellow.
- Add both sugars and mix.
- Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the pan; it should come out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Let cool before slicing and serving.
Recipe from Food Network.