Maida's Palm Beach Brownies recipe is the fudgiest brownie recipe I know. It calls for 8 oz of butter, 8 oz of chocolate and 5 eggs, and 3 ¾ cup of sugar to balance things out! I don't worry about the richness with the recipes like this because it means a smaller piece will satisfy, but it is an expensive recipe which is why I've tried making half batches through the years. It works better made in full in the 13x9 inch pan. Also, there are some quirks. Or not really quirks, but just things to keep in mind since it's older. This is not a brownie recipe I recommend to beginners.
They require a good bit of mixing, but the mixing pays off if you like a very crispy crust. Of course the very high heat also contributes to the crust. Maida Heatter calls for a heat of 425, so what you end up with are brownies with burnt edges that need to be trimmed (which she notes in the book). They are characterized by being very fudgy in the center and very crisp on the top and bottom. If you make them, don't make your final assessment until after you have cooled and chilled the brownies. Consider it a critical part of the directions. The brownies always seem grainy right out of the oven, bordering on cakey and overall unimpressive. Once cooled and chilled, they are just right.
Well, I sound like a Negative Nancy here. It's not like these are terrible brownies because they're actually among the greatest of all time. Just be warned. And don't try to make substitution or scale down unless you are feeling risky or are flush with chocolate, butter and eggs. You can definitely make half (as per the note) but your oven, the slope of your pan, what it's made of, the brand of chocolate, the power of your mixer, the antics of kids, roommates, puppies, people at the door and distractions can all affect the results.
For the original Maida's Palm Beach Brownies recipe, check Maida Heatter's Great Book of Chocolate Desserts.
Recipe
Maida's Palm Beach Brownies
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (230 grams)
- 8 oz unsweetened chocolate (230 grams)
- 5 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 3 ¾ cup granulated sugar (730 to 750)
- 1 ⅔ cup unbleached all purpose flour, sift after measuring
- 2 cups walnuts toasted and broken into pieces (I omitted)
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9x13x2-inch metal pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When almost melted, reduce heat to low and add chocolate. Stir until chocolate is very soft, then remove from heat and let chocolate melt in the residual heat of the butter.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla and almond extracts, salt, espresso and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture and beat only until mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the flour and the nuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, reversing the pan from front to back once to ensure even baking (Maida covers her brownies loosely with foil halfway through to prevent burning, but I didn't). At the end of 35 minutes, the brownies will have a firm crust, but when tested with a toothpick will appear underbaked. Take them out anyway.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let stand until cool. Invert the brownies onto a cookie sheet and remove the foil. Cover with length of waxed paper and another cookie sheet..invert again. This cake is best covered and refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before it is cut into bars.
Anna
Hi Manny,
Thanks for leaving me a nice note about Maida's brownies. Let me know if you need recommendations for recipes that aren't as sweet :).
Manny
The brownies are very nice and tasty. I baked pies, cakes, cookies and pastry for a friend who has type 2 diabetes. So I had to reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. He enjoyed it very much, a lot better than bought brownies which are usually too sweet and not recommended for diabetic people.
Eat,drink&beKerry
Can I come to your place and try them Maureen? I love a fudgey brownie.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I'm in a brownie mood today and this recipe hits the spot!
Anna
Have you tested your oven to make sure it is accurate? Maybe your 425 is actually more like 450? It is a high temp, though. If you are having problems with this recipe, you should just try another one.
Alice Lanckton
425 seems too hot and my first batch seemed burnt when they came out.
Any suggestions?
Anna
Hi Chloe,
Here are the metric measurements for the brownies. I hope you like them!
Maida's Palm Beach Brownies
230 grams unsweetened chocolate
230 grams unsalted butter
140 grams walnuts (if using)
5 Lg Eggs
10 ml vanilla
2.5 ml almond extract
1.25 ml salt
20 ml Powdered Instant Espresso
735 grams granulated sugar
210 grams all purpose flour
Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 218 degrees C. Line a 9x11x2-inch pan with foil. Brush well with melted butter. (I used parchment)
Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat or in a small, heavy saucepan on low heat, stirring occasionally. When combined, remove from heat and set aside.
Break the walnuts into pieces if necessary, trying to keep them fairly large. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla and almond extracts, salt, espresso and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture and beat only until mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, reversing the pan from front to back once to ensure even baking. At the end of 35 minutes, the cake will have a firm crust, but when tested with a toothpick will appear underbaked. Do not be concerned, it is done.
Remove the pan from the oven and let stand until cool. Invert the brownies onto a cookie sheet and remove the foil. Cover with length of waxed paper and another cookie sheet..invert again. This cake MUST be covered and refrigerated for a few hours or overnight
before it is cut into bars.
Chloé
Hi, I am french and I love your website but I can't find exactly the right equivalence for this recipe. Could you give me the metric version of Maida's brownies, please.
Anna
David, I agree. Mine came out of the oven looking cakey, but they settled nicely into a fudgy type brownie. I thought they were excellent!
David
you guys must all be doing something very wrong. i cant put my finger on it but if your palm beach brownies are coming out cakey and not fudgy you've gone wrong. i have been making these brownies for about ten years, and have always gotten rave reviews. they are they moistest, and fugiest recipe i know of. please check your techniques. when these brownies are made correctly, they are beyond heavenly!
Anna
Sorry you didn't like it, Kelly. I actually prefer fudgier brownies too. If you haven't tried the Nancy Baggett brownie, I recommend it.
Kelly
It turned out so so. This is a cakey brownie. I prefer fudgey. Yes, I wondered when to add the flour and I added after the chocolate mixture. I baked it 30 minutes and it seemed over done already. I also plunged the pan into ice water, but it's not my kind of brownie.
mj
wow these look yummy! i have to try these sometime 🙂
Maureen
Wow, the restaurant boasts a fairly impressive wine list for a dessert place.
The brownies look yummy, but like Fuzz, a berry cake sounds even better. Let me know if you find it!
Anonymous
just curious on why you put the hot pan ice water... is it just to cool it quicker -- so you can eat them quicker. They look so good. Or does it serve another purpose.
Really enjoy your blog - can I move in!