Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

Ever since I came across my first reference to using browned butter in a brownie I have been curious.  Not quite intrigued, but definitely curious.  Then I received the new issue of Bon Appetit and saw that the cover recipe was for Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts.  And after I looked inside and saw just how easy they were to make, I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on a batch of browned butter brownies.  Actually, in the spirit of full disclosure, my receptionists at work have been requesting brownies for some time now and once I saw the recipe it almost seemed serendipitous (except that I had to wait a few weeks to have the time to bake them).

According to some of the reviews that I have read, these brownies are better the second day.  I will have to try them out tomorrow and report back to you on that one, but I can tell you that on day one they are  fudgey and super rich.  You can definitely taste the nuttiness of the browned butter (which was a very interesting variation on a traditional cocoa brownie) and it is a great complement to the walnuts.  I generally prefer cakey brownies to fudgey brownies, but these brownies definitely deserve a shot, even if only for the ease of baking them.  I wish that I had added a pinch of espresso powder to the batter, but by the time I thought of it I was too lazy to hunt down the espresso powder in our cabinets.  If I'm not mistaken it is on the very top shelf and I either needed to 1) stand on the counter (which was impossible since the counter was covered in brownie-making supplies), or 2) go get a chair to stand on (which I was loathe to do since I had already done that to get the vanilla extract down).  So I decided to forgo the espresso powder just this once.  Next time I will definitely add it because I find that it gives brownies great depth of flavor and makes them taste even more chocolatey.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
Bon Appetit
February 2011

INGREDIENTS: 

Nonstick vegetable oil 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)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup walnut pieces

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil 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 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.