If you're not a serious chocoholic, you might as well skip this post. Made with deep, dark Valrhona cocoa and bittersweet chocolate chips, these brownies are intense. These are postpartum-mama-recovery brownies. These are get-me-through-long-nights-of-newborn-feedings brownies. These are the ultimate in chocolate-therapy brownies. And to top it all off, they are also loaded with cacao nibs, or bits of roasted cacao bean. Cacao nibs are essentially the crack of the chocolate world. In addition to adding pure dark chocolatey intensity, they also bring a nice little crunch to the party. Either way, don't say I didn't warn you. Proceed at your own, bittersweet risk.
Cacao Nib Brownies
from Apartment Therapy
1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cup sugar (460 g)
1 1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
4 lg eggs
1 1/2 cup (6 1/4 oz) AP flour
2 cup (12 oz bag) chocolate chips (the darker the better! - I used Ghiradelli 60%)
1/2 cup cocoa nibs (I used Scharffen Berger)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper so it comes up each of the shorter sides (butter the two other sides)
Melt the butter over low heat. Add the sugar and heat up both just until it's just about to boil. This will give the brownies a crispy top crust. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating until smooth and shiny. Add the flour, mix gently until it's almost completely incorporated. Add the chips and the cocoa nibs until combined.
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Brownies are done when the top is firm and slightly puffed and set on the edges.
And for something equally delicious, I give you yummy little baby fingers: