- Outrageous Brownies

OUTRAGEOUS BROWNIES/PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES
(Rich)

1 pound unsalted butter (yes 1 pound – did you see the first word in the recipe name?)
1 pound plus 12 ozs. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ozs. unsweetened chocolate
6 extra large eggs
3 T instant coffee granules
2 T pure vanilla extract
2¼ c white sugar
1¼ c all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 c chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer) OR ¾ c peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350°

Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 c of flour, the baking powder and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ozs. of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with the remaining ¼ c of flour (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom), then add them to the chocolate batter (make sure the chocolate mixture is cool or the chocolate chips will melt and ruin the brownies). Pour into the baking sheet. At this point if you are using the peanut butter you can spoon the peanut butter onto the brownie batter and use a knife to swirl the peanut butter into the brownies.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate and cut into 20 large squares.

Notes:

(i) This is really over the top but fabulous for a large group. The recipe can be made and stored in the fridge for several days.