Do you have some 85% chocolate you'd like to use in a brownie recipe? Any chocolate between 80 and 90% will do! These 85% chocolate brownies are delicious!
If you've been following this blog from the beginning, you'll know that it used to be called "The Perfect Brownie." This week, I renamed it to avoid future trademark conflicts. I'm actually happy about the renaming, and I hope you like the new name, too. You can be sure that there will still be plenty of brownie recipes as I continue my search for the perfect brownie- not to mention other perfect recipes!
In most of my recipes for brownies, I've used cocoa powder or unsweetened chocolate, but today I used an 85% single origin Colombian chocolate bar. Why? There were a couple of reasons.
- I wanted to know how different percentages of chocolate behave in a brownie recipe.
- I had a bar of 85% chocolate in the pantry, and I don't really eat 85% chocolate straight. I find it a bit too strong and bitter.
Before melting this chocolate and adding it to the batter, I had a quick taste. This particular bar was a bit more harsh than the average high-percentage dark chocolate, yet had a strongly creamy flavor as well. That didn't make a lot of sense until I looked at the ingredient list, which included vanilla. A hefty dose of vanilla would definitely explain the taste of cream. It was almost as if a little extra vanilla had been included to try and smooth out the harsh flavor of the chocolate.
I was pleased to see that these brownies had the sought-after crinkly crust that shatters at the slightest touch. I'm beginning to think that this is a function of both the mixing method and the amount of superfine sugar (from chocolate bars, but also found in brownie mix) present in the batter. More experiments will be needed. But, hey, if I cracked the secret of chewy brownies, I can crack this secret, too!
In the mean time, I hope you enjoy these brownies. They're a bit sticky, very chewy, and quite sweet. They remind me quite a lot of these Milk Chocolate Brownies, except with a darker chocolate flavor. You can use any chocolate between 80-90% for this recipe and it should turn out fine.
85% Chocolate Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz 85% chocolate broken or chopped in pieces (any percentage between 80% and 90% will work)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8 inch square pan by lining it with parchment paper or foil.
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In a microwaveable bowl, microwave the chocolate on 50% power in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool until warm but not hot to the touch.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
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Stir in the melted and cooled chocolate. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
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Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Place pan on a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then use the foil or parchment to lift out the brownies. Place them on the rack to cool completely.
I so wish that my laptop screen were ~ Scratch ~ Sniff ~ Eat.... Oh those look so good. I love love love dark chocolate, and so therefore would have eaten that bar, it would not have made it into the Brownie Batter, although by the looks of things, if I were to make these that is where it would best be served!!!
I love your brownies!!!
Now THERE'S a blog title- "Scratch, Sniff, Eat!" LOL! I tried a taste of the 85% but it was too bitter for me. Wait til you catch my flourless brownies, though, they're insanely chocolatey in a way that even I like. The most chocolate brownie ever. You're gonna love it. 🙂
I am seriously craving brownies right now - these look so incredibly chocolat-y, rich and delicious!
Indeed, these truly are the very dense, very fudgy variety of brownies. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I had an extra 3.5 oz 85% dark chocolate bar I was almost going to throw away, and this was the perfect solution! The flavor is not bitter to me at all- just a yummy brownie indulgence, which is what I was hoping for! The only thing I would change next time is to avoid the foil. I like brownies a little chewy/undercooked, and the foil did not want to let go. Bad for dental fillings, I imagine! Anyway, now I feel like keeping 85% cacao chocolate around just for emergency brownies! Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm so glad it worked out for you. I vastly prefer parchment paper over foil, but many folks don't keep parchment paper handy, so I always say that you can use either foil or parchment paper. It's my way of making cleanup easier and for lifting the brownies out of the pan to stop them from continuing to cook after removing them from the oven. If you like a milder chocolate brownie, you may also like my Milk Chocolate Brownies, or even my incredible White Chocolate Brownies! 🙂
What brand did you use? I usually buy Lindt but adore the super dark flavours
Hmm, let me think... it was a gift, and I think it was a bar from Trader Joe's. I am a long time Lindt fan, too- used to buy their dark chocolate bars when I was a kid. They came in a beautiful white paper wrapper with embossed gold on it.
Easy and delicious!
I tried it with 90% bitter chocolate. It came out so good. When tasting, it starts on the sweeter note and leaves a little bitter taste on the end which was perfect. So gooey too.
It was so tasty.
Can the recipe be doubled and cooked in a 9x13 pan or is that asking for trouble? They get gobbled up so fast I often don't get any! We used 88% Chocolove and they came out great. Have you tried them with a sugar substitute like the 1:1 monk fruit/erithrotol blends?
Brownie recipes are easily doubled. You should have no trouble there. However, I've never tried a sugar substitute - if I were you, I might try reducing the sugar first, then going lower the next time if it worked out. Sugar plays a big role in the texture and flavor and if it's all gone, they might taste weird. Let me know if you find a workable variation! 🙂
I just doubled it using 85%, and 8" pan and cooked for 45 minutes @ 180C. It rested for 15 min in pan, then moved to cooling rack for an hour. Served slightly warm with vanilla ice-cream. This was divine! Thanks for the recipe.
I wanted to use up 86% dark chocolate. I used half 75% and half 86% to equal 3.5 oz. This produced an outstanding finished brownie. I added walnuts, baked 25 minutes at 350, 10 minutes at 325. Thank you so much for publishing. This recipe is a keeper.
My friends and family declared these the best brownies ever. Very moist and decadent and easy to make!
So easy to put together! I used two bars of 85% Madagascar Chocolate from Vinte Vinte that weighed 49g in total. My batch required the full 30 minutes. The chocolate aroma is fantastic! Very tender and creamy (!!) when nibbling the corners while still hot. My husband wants to know if the calories stay the same if the batch is cut into fourths rather than ninths. He almost has me convinced that they do. Thanks for a **small* batch recipe using some Madagascar chocolate bars.
❤️Janet
My boyfriend and I absolutely love these! I used Lindt 85% chocolate. The brownies have the best texture and flavor. I've always had trouble finding brownie recipes that didn't taste sickeningly sweet. I'm so happy I found the recipe I had been searching for to satisfy my brownie craving. And it's such an easy recipe to make. I use the microwave to heat up the chocolate and butter, and I have the brownies in the oven in no time.
Loved it. Super easy. I made one batch - so yum so a second was well in order!!! C'mon it's chocolate! I whisked the mix for a few minutes after adding the flour the second time, instead of till just combined. It went pale and milk chocolatey looking. Didn't deflate after baking and held together better and still had that gorgeous gooey texture. This recipe is a keeper!