These were the brownies that eight-year-old Blaine made for Cam’s high school cross-country team’s bake sale. Shrewdly, Cam doubled the price per brownie and still sold out.
| ¾ cup | unsalted butter |
| 2 cups | semisweet chocolate chips |
| 1½ cups | sugar |
| ½ cup | light brown sugar |
| 3 | large eggs (room temperature) |
| 2 teaspoons | vanilla extract |
| 1 tablespoon | instant coffee granules |
| 1 cup | unsweetened cocoa powder |
| 1 cup | all-purpose flour |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13-inch pan or line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished brownies out. Set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and 2 ounces of chocolate chips. Melt 30 seconds at a time, whisking after each increment until completely smooth. Whisk in the sugar until completely combined. (Whisking the sugar into warm butter will help the sugar, during baking, to rise to the top of the batter. That’s the secret to the shiny crackly tops.) One by one, whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and instant coffee granules.
Add the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and remaining chocolate chips. Fold it all together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Batter will be very thick. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
Bake for 25–30 minutes. (Do not overbake! A little underdone is better than a little overdone.)
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.
Optional add-in: 1 cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts.