Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

We love to have something chocolate available at all times around our house.  You will usually be able to find brownies or chocolate chip cookies within grabbing distance in our kitchen as they are our most favorite chocolately treats.  Up to this point, I have tried many brownie recipes and they all seemed to have something missing.  Even the Baked Brownie didn't completely do it for me.  I was still in search of my go-to recipe.  Then here comes along this recipe that was recently featured on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine.  I figured it was worth a try.  It includes pantry staple ingredients, which is always nice (I don't have always have a mix of premium chocolates on hand), and it also includes walnuts.  Walnuts in my brownies takes me back to the Betty Crocker Supreme brownies with Walnuts that I loved as a kid.  They were the quick brownie treats when my mom didn't make her cake-like cocoa brownies from her Home Ec recipe book (those are cake-like brownie perfection).  One thing I look for in a brownie recipe for my little family is a texture that is a combination of fudgey and cake-like, to please everyone, a depth of flavor, and a crackly top.  This new-found recipe has it all.  I'm sold!  It may be awhile before I try any other brownie recipes because these are pretty perfect!  The only thing I may play around with (because I can't leave recipes alone) would be to add a little espresso powder, and to sub out the natural cocoa for dutch-process cocoa, just for kicks.  It would be hard to get better than this though!

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

Nonstick baking 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)
2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment, pressing firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat parchment 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 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Using parchment overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

Source:  Bon Appetit.