Adapted from “Gorgeous Desserts,” by Annie Bell (Kyle Books). Adjusted for high-altitude baking. Makes 16 brownies.
Ingredients
- 10 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (about 50 percent cocoa), broken up (about 1 1/2-2 cups)
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2sticks) unsalted butter, diced
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 4 medium egg whites, and one egg yolk
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 scant cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-square pan and dust with flour.
Melt the chocolate with the butter in the top of a double boiler over a pan with a little simmering water in it. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and stir to combine. Add the eggs and yolk to the chocolate mixture, one by one, beating after each addition, until the mixture is very glossy. Gently fold in the ground almonds and salt, then sift the flour and baking powder over this, and fold in without overmixing. Stir in the orange juice and fold in the pistachios.
Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until they appear slightly cracked and risen around the outside but still gooey in the center. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, let the cake cool for several hours (this keeps them fudgy), then cut into 16 squares.
Top with whipped cream if you like.
