Food & Wine USA - (03)March 2019

40 MARCH 2019

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Bakers’ Best Fancy chocolate—and a smart

technique—make the richest brownies ever.

Lee Lee’s Double Chocolate

Chunk Brownies

ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 45 MIN

SERVES 20

While many recipes call for creaming the

butter and sugar before adding eggs, at

Nathaniel Reid Bakery in St. Louis, Lee Lee

Reid whips eggs and sugar together to

aerate them, leading to the ultimate

brownie consistency. A brownie will only

be as good as the cocoa and chocolate

used, so be sure to source the best, like

Valrhona. For the cleanest cut, wipe off

crumbs and spray your knife with cooking

spray in between slices.

Cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4^1 / 4 oz.)

1 / 4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

(such as Valrhona)

3 / 4 tsp. fine sea salt

11 / 3 cups dark chocolate wafers (such

as Valrhona Caraïbe 66% Cacao),

divided

1 cup granulated sugar

3 / 4 cup unsalted butter (6 oz.), melted

1 / 2 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13- x
   9-inch metal baking pan with parchment
   paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on all
   sides. Lightly coat parchment paper with
   cooking spray. Sift together flour, cocoa,
   and salt in a small bowl; set aside.


2. Melt 1 cup chocolate wafers over a dou-
   ble boiler or in the microwave, stirring
   often, until smooth. Combine granulated
   sugar, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs,
   and vanilla in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat
   on medium-high speed until frothy and
   light caramel in color, about 1 minute.


3. With mixer running on low speed, slowly
   pour melted chocolate into egg mixture.
   Fold in flour mixture until incorporated.
   Transfer batter to prepared pan, and
   smooth top. Roughly chop remaining^1 / 3
   cup chocolate wafers, and sprinkle over
   top of batter. Bake in preheated oven until
   a wooden pick inserted in center comes
   out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool brownies
   in pan on a wire rack at least 2 hours. Using
   parchment, remove brownies from pan.
   Cut into 20 rectangles.
   MAKE AHEAD Brownies may be stored in
   an airtight container at room temperature
   up to 2 days.

PASTRY CHEF LEE LEE REID is a self-proclaimed

brownie aficionado. “I’m always looking for that

perfect chew,” she says. Needless to say, the chocolate

chunk brownie recipe she developed, which custom-

ers can find at her husband’s bakeshop, Nathaniel

Reid Bakery in St. Louis, is the ideal balance of cakey

and fudgy—falling in line with Nathaniel’s own bak-

ing philosophy. “I like to be innovative,” he says, “but

I also like doing things that people understand and

making it the best they’ve ever had.” NINA FRIEND

RECIPE FROM

NATHANIEL

REID BAKERY

ST. LOUIS

MOST WANTED

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photography by GREG DUPREE