-
1Prep
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
-
2Melt
Combine the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes — you don't want scrambled eggs later.
-
3Mix
Beat the eggs with the sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour, salt, vanilla, and nuts until just combined. Stop the moment you can't see flour. Overmixing is the enemy.
-
4Bake
Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs — not wet batter, but not clean either. That middle ground is the whole point.
-
5Rest
Leave them in the pan. Don't cut them. Walk away for at least an hour. They firm up entirely as they cool — cut them warm and you'll have rubble, not brownies.
- Use real semisweet chocolate, not chips. Chips have stabilizers that dull the final texture.
- Nuts are optional but recommended — the crunch interrupts the density in a way that makes every bite feel considered.
- Store covered at room temperature.