Fudgy 65% bean-to-bar chocolate brownies

Thin, crackly top. Fudgy centre. Chewy, crisp edges. This is the brownie we bake in the studio, made with our 65% dark chocolate.

Makes: 16 squares · Preparation: 15–20 minutes · Baking: 22–30 minutes · Pan: 20 × 20 cm square metal pan

Ingredients

Prepare the pan and oven. Preheat the oven to 170°C conventional heat or 160°C fan. Line a 20 × 20 cm square metal pan with baking paper.
Melt the chocolate and butter. Melt them together over a bain-marie, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool until warm, not hot.
Whisk the eggs and sugars. Whisk the eggs, caster sugar and brown sugar for 3–5 minutes, until thick, glossy and slightly lighter in colour. Avoid whipping to a very airy, mousse-like consistency.
Combine. Slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture while whisking gently. Add the vanilla if using, and mix until uniform.
Fold in the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Fold into the chocolate mixture just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick and glossy.
Bake. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 22–30 minutes, checking from 22 minutes. The edges should be set and the top crackly. A toothpick in the centre should come out with moist, sticky crumbs, not liquid batter.
Cool and cut. Cool in the pan for 45–60 minutes before lifting out. For clean cuts and the best fudgy texture, cool completely and rest for several hours before serving.

For a thin, crackly top, whisk the eggs and sugar thoroughly before adding the chocolate.
For chewy, crisp edges, use a metal baking pan and bake until the edges are fully set.
Avoid glass or silicone pans if you want more pronounced crisp edges.
Do not overbake. The centre should still be slightly soft when it comes out; it continues to set as it cools.
Optional: scatter 20–30 g of chopped 65% chocolate over the batter before baking for extra pockets of chocolate.