Fudgy Brownie Wedges

---

Serves 6

Cooking Time 3 to 4 hours on High

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The low heat and moist environment of the slow cooker aren’t just good for preparing richly flavored stews and braises—we found we could also take advantage of this appliance to make easy, from-scratch brownies. And because the flavor compounds in chocolate are extremely volatile and cook off easily in a hot oven, using the gentle heat of the slow cooker preserves more chocolate flavor and practically guarantees a fudgy texture. In fact, when we made our classic brownies in a slow cooker they were too fudgy, so we cut back on the sugar and omitted an egg yolk. Simply pouring the batter into the slow cooker led to unevenly cooked brownies that were hard to remove. Instead, we “baked” our brownies in a small springform pan, which fit nicely in the slow cooker and was easy to pull out when the brownies were done. A water bath ensured that they cooked through gently and evenly, and using a foil rack elevated the pan so no water seeped in. You will need a 6-inch springform pan for this recipe, or you can substitute a 6-inch round cake pan. Click here for more information on making a foil rack.

2	ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5	tablespoons unsalted butter
½	cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour
½	teaspoon baking powder
⅛	teaspoon salt
⅔	cup packed (4⅔ ounces) brown sugar
1	large egg plus 1 large yolk, room temperature
½	teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓	cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (optional)

1. Fill slow cooker with ½ inch water (about 2 cups water) and place aluminum foil rack in bottom. Grease 6-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.

2. Microwave chocolate in large bowl at 50 percent power for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir, add butter, and continue to heat until melted, stirring once every 30 seconds; let cool slightly. In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Whisk sugar, egg and yolk, and vanilla into cooled chocolate mixture until well combined. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and sprinkle with pecans, if using. Set pan on prepared rack, cover, and cook until toothpick inserted into center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 3 to 4 hours on high.

4. Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Run small knife around edge of brownies, then remove sides of pan. Remove brownies from pan bottom, discarding parchment, and transfer to cutting board. Cut brownies into wedges and serve.