Go Back
Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe
Print Recipe

Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped (Iused chocolate chips)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs room temperature

Optional Peanut Butter Filling

  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter room temperature

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350°.
  • Sift flour and salt together; set aside.
  • *Optional step for peanut butter filling: With electric mixer, beat peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter until very creamy, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
  • To make the brownies, melt chocolate with butter in double boiler, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can melt in microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between. After dissolving, add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture; stir to blend. Add vanilla and stir.
  • Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
  • In stand mixing bowl whisk together the remaining cup of sugar and the eggs until just combined.
  • Little by little, pour half of the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.
  • Using whisk attachment, whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Using rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.
  • When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.
  • Pour and scrape the batter in to an unbuttered 9-inch square pan. Note: I sprayed with a little baking spray just to make sure they didn't stick.
  • *Optional step: drop teaspoonfuls of peanut mixture on top of the batter and throughout the pan.
  • Bake the brownies for a minimum of 45 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.
  • Cut into the center at about the 30-minute mark to see how the brownies are progressing: they are perfect when they are just barely set and still a little gooey. Note: Some people like them a little less gooey. If so, bake an extra few minutes.
  • Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.
  • Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar.