Brownies for Theresa (and the rest of the world)

I was curious so I looked for gluten free brownies and found this recipe from David Lebovitz. When I saw the 8 ounces of chocolate in a single pan I knew I had to try it! And yes, I can report that these are a great brownie with intense chocolate flavor. I sprinkled nuts on part of mine and left part plain. You could also mix nuts in if you like. These are so chocolaty that they are best in small pieces. They are a bit more crumbly than regular brownies and you should let them cool before cutting. I won't tell if you cut one out of the corner while it is still warm though. Read David's post and be sure to really beat the batter for a full 2 minutes or more.

Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies

6 T (85g) butter
8 oz (225g) semisweet chocolate, chopped (or even part unsweetened like I did)
3/4 c (150g) sugar

1/4 t salt
2 large eggs
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
3 T cornstarch
optional: 1 cup (135g) nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Line the inside of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (or use foil if you like) so that it goes up the sides at least an inch. You don't have to grease parchment paper, maybe lightly grease foil. Preheat oven to 350º (180ºC). Sift together the cocoa powder and corn starch in a small bowl.

Melt the butter over low heat then add the chocolate. Keep heat low and stir constantly until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and stir and heat a bit (but don't cook or anything, warm but not burning hot). Stir constantly until smooth. The sugar won't melt much.

Remove from heat and touch. If not too hot (don't want to cook the eggs) beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the cornstarch and cocoa mix. Beat the batter vigorously for at least two minutes, until the batter is smooth. Add the nuts, if using, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan. It will be very thick.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just set in the center. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. 

It took 29 minutes in a pyrex pan, a metal pan would probably cook faster.