RECIPE: Specialty Grocery Store Brownies 

Inspired by Ina Garten’s “Outrageous Brownies”

Ina Garten shares the story of her “Outrageous Brownies” in her 2024 memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens.” Ina tells us it was a recipe she was testing for Barefoot Contessa, her East Hampton specialty grocery store, but she was worried they would never sell. She couldn’t get the cost of the ingredients down, causing her brownies to cost $2.25 while others in the area were only 75 cents. 

She decided to see what would happen if she didn’t skimp on quality ingredients and just charged the premium price. Pan after pan of these brownies sold. She learned that if you bake something with the best ingredients—and it’s delicious— people do not care what it costs.

You can skip the specialty store and “outrageous” prices by easily whipping these brownies up at home. The only “outrageous” thing is the chocolate flavor that is enhanced thanks to the addition of espresso and vanilla extract. These bold flavors help to cut the sweetness and counter the chocolate, making it much more rich and complex.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate chips and a handful for sprinkling

6 oz unsweetened chocolate

6 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp espresso powder

1 c flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.

Prepare the chocolate mixture

Melt the butter, chocolate chips, and baking chocolate together in a double boiler, stirring until well combined and smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, mix but do not beat eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso powder together. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared baking sheet. Top with a sprinkle of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 minutes then carefully tap the baking dish against the oven shelf to let air escape. Bake for another 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Make sure the brownies cool completely before cutting them into squares.