Sea Salt Chocolate Bourbon Fudge Brownies

Chocolate and bourbon are a magical pairing. They’re like Batman and Robin, only sometimes they get to change roles. In this case of bourbon brownies, the chocolate got to be Batman. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but that’s not the point. The point is I BAKED SOMETHING! 

Sea Salt Chocolate Bourbon Fudge Brownies:
(adapted from this Food & Wine recipe) 

1½ sticks unsalted butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. bourbon
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch square metal cake pan with foil, draping the foil over the edges. Lightly butter the foil.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the unsweetened chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Whisking them in one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, add the cocoa, sugar, eggs, bourbon and flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the batter. Using a butter knife, swirl the salt into the batter.

Bake the fudge brownies in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the edge is set but the center is still a bit soft and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out coated with a little of the batter. Let the brownies cool at room temperature in the pan for 1 hour, then refrigerate just until they are firm, about 1 hour. Lift the brownies from the pan and peel off the foil. Cut the brownies into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature.

These were super chocolatey and fudgey and delicious. The sea salt is a nice flavor burst, too. As I said before, the chocolate is the Batman here. The bourbon got mostly lost, even though I used quite a bit. (The original recipe calls for 1½ tablespoons of vanilla, and I used twice as much bourbon.) This could also be because we used Buffalo Trace, which is super sweet. Next time I make these, I’d increase the bourbon slightly or use a bourbon with a more distinctive flavor profile. Maybe both.