Brownies with Pecans and Fleur de Sel

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (217g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 10.5 oz (300g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cold espresso or coffee
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (11g) cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup (75g) chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (75g) pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Fleur de sel

Make The Batter

We’re going to begin preparing the batter by preheating the oven to 350°F.

You want to line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper.

When lining the pan, leave some overhang on the sides.

This way, later on we can just lift the brownies out of the pan using the foil or parchment paper.

Set a medium heatproof bowl in a saucepan filled halfway with simmering water (this method of baking is called a Bain Marie) and melt the chopped chocolate in this double boiler until smooth.

Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar together for approximately 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes pale in color and fluffy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing on high speed for another 5 minutes or longer until the mixture becomes foamy.

It’s very important to incorporate as much air into this mixture as possible so that we get that crackly top on the brownies.

Switch to a spatula and gently fold in the vanilla, cold espresso, and melted chocolate.

Only mix just enough to combine to prevent losing the air that you whipped into the batter.

Combine and Bake

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together to combine.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Be careful not to over mix!

Finally, gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan.

Use a spatula to spread it evenly.

Sprinkle approximately 1½ tsp of Fleur de Sel evenly over the top of the brownie batter.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes.

The edges will be set, while the center may still be soft.

Please note that your brownies may bake differently due to the size and type of pan that you use.

Once removed from the oven, transfer the baking pan to a wire rack and allow the brownies to cool for 20-30 minutes before lifting from the pan.

You should be able to cut your brownies into approximately 16-20 square pieces depending on the size you cut them into.