Ingredients

The following ingredients have 16 Servings
  • 2 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder* or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instruction

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Line an 8-inch square baking pan with enough foil so that the foil extends a few inches over 2 sides of the pan (this will make it easy to lift the brownies out after baking).
  • Butter the foil.
  • Put chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until butter and almost all of the chocolate has melted, about 4 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes (any remaining chunks of chocolate should melt).
  • Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes (any remaining chunks of chocolate should melt).
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, chile powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
  • Pour the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla.
  • Add flour mixture and stir just until smooth.
  • Pour into the prepared pan and bake just until the top of the brownies begins to look dried and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter sticking to it, 30 to 35 minutes.
  • Cool the brownies in the pan for 10 minutes and then use the foil on the sides to lift the brownies out and place on a rack to cool completely.
  • Peel off the foil and cut the brownies into 16 squares.
  • *Note that this recipe calls for ancho chile powder, made from ground chile peppers. Chili powder (which is made from a blend of seasonings) is not a substitute and will not yield good results.