Ina Garten's 'Outrageous Brownies' Really Pack A Punch

Whether serving after-dinner treats or passing around freshly baked goods for an afternoon pick-me-up, Ina Garten's brownie recipe is a solid bet. The queen of hostessing knows her way around a kitchen and certainly can handle the appetite of a crowd. In fact, Garten has named her brownies outrageous for a good reason: The fudgy, gooey recipe incorporates ingredients like walnuts and chocolate chips used in other brownie recipes, except Garten's culinary scheme includes all of the ingredients at once. Not only chopped nuts, but also coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla are blended to form a buttery, chewy texture that can feed nearly two dozen guests.

Yet unlike other brownies that are offered warm, Garten chills her batch to create a fudge-like layer that contrasts with the crunchy textures of the added walnuts and chocolate chips. Plus, Garten's recipe is made up of 6 ounces of bitter chocolate, over one pound of chocolate chips, and another pound of butter, yielding plenty of outrageous flavor for a dinner party, the next team meeting, or to share with your most deserving neighbors. 

When cut into squares, Garten's recipe results in at least 20 cut cubes of brownie treats that can be distributed or saved to eat later on. Keep an eye on the brownies while they are baking, warns Garten, as this is a recipe you want to get right. In her original recipe, Garten delivers the instructions to bake the batter for an initial 20 minutes, then remove the baking sheet to tap it lightly against the shelf of the oven or a solid countertop. This tapping technique pushes out any excess air that may have gathered between the base of the pan and the brownie batter. 

After smacking the tray against a solid surface, return the brownies to the warm oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the treats can be removed without a trace of the chocolate dough. If you'd like to savor the rich dessert for as long as possible, the outrageous brownies can be frozen for up to three months when wrapped properly in plastic wrap and foil, and you'll be well prepared the next time chocolate cravings arise.