Park Avenue Brownies | Baking with Dorie

Dorie’s Park Avenue brownies are distinctive because they’re supposed to be rich and slim, very much like the chic denizens on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. I don’t do brownies often since I find brownies to be too rich and fudgy for my taste. Are these any different?

Brownies are easy to make by hand, using two bowls and without a mixer or food processor.

First make the chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate and butter over a simmering bain-marie. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars (granulated and brown sugar) until pale and creamy. Add the egg one by one. Dorie says beat and — really beat — for a minute or two. Then add the chocolate sauce and fold gently.

Next, add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder and salt) and fold into the chocolate mixture. The batter will be heavy and glossy. Then pour the batter into the lined baking pan.

The bake time is about 27 to 30 minutes in a 325°F oven. It’s more fluid in terms of baking time. Afterall, it’s a balancing act between having the batter cooked and maintaining a slight wobble and gooeyness inside. It’s reassuring that the brownies firm up quite a lot once they start to cool down. However, the texture is looser and crumblier than I’ve expected since I bake the brownies closer to the 30-minute mark.

The topping of chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of flaky Meldon sea salt over the brownies are delightful touches to these Park Avenue brownies.