Chile Brownies

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional
• all-purpose flour, for the pan
• 1/4 cup pure chile powder, plus
• 1 tablespoon pure chile powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional
• unsalted butter, for the pan
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate or 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Recipe

• 1 position oven rack in the lower third of oven; preheat oven to 350°; butter and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan; set aside.
• 2 in a bowl, whisk the flour, chile powder, baking powder, and salt until combined; set aside.
• 3 add butter and both chocolates in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water; stir constantly until half the butter and chocolate is melted.
• 4 remove the top of the double boiler from the pot; then continue stirring, away from the heat, until the butter and chocolate are completely melted.
• 5 transfer to a big bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
• 6 beat the sugar into the melted chocolate with an electric mixer on medium speed; continue beating until smooth and silky, about 2 minutes.
• 7 beat in eggs until well incorporated.
• 8 with a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture just until incorporated; do not beat.
• 9 spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it gently to the corners.
• 10 bake for 20 minutes or until a pick comes out with a few moist crumbs; set pan of wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.
• 11 cut brownies into 24 pieces while they are still in the pan; carefully remove them with an offset spatula.
• 12 serve immediately or cool completely before covering with plastic wrap for storage at room temperature.
• 13 variation: add one or more of the following spices with the chile powder: 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves and/or.
• 14 stir in 1 ¼ cups of any of the following mix-ins or 1 ¼ cups any combination of the following mix-ins, with the flour mixture—chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped candied orange peel, chopped dried figs, chopped pecans, chopped toasted hazelnuts, dried cherries, raisins, toasted pepitas.