Ina’s Outrageous Brownies
These brownies are the brainchild of Ina Garten – huge, wonderfully rich and complete with tons of chopped walnuts!
I first made Ina Garten’s outrageous brownies recipe only a few short months after I launched this website; I had originally halved the recipe and I’ve been wanting to make the full recipe for some time now. Something about an entire half sheet pan of brownies sounded way too good to pass up. Mission accomplished!
At the time, I had read so many crazy wonderful things about this recipe on cooking and baking forums that I frequented and these outrageous brownies in no way disappointed. They are super rich, packed with chocolate and include a substantial amount of chopped walnuts for good measure.
You may have a slight heart attack when you read the ingredients below, so let me prepare you…
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Yes, this recipe calls for one pound of butter PLUS one pound of chocolate PLUS six eggs.
These brownies are rich, and the half sheet pan makes an enormous amount of brownies. While Ina’s recipe calls for cutting this recipe into 20 large brownies, I think that’s a bit overkill (even for me). You can easily get anywhere from two dozen to 40 brownies depending on how you decide to cut them.
Last but not least, definitely refrigerate these! They transform from really soft brownies to firmer, fudge-like brownies and you can really appreciate the addition of the chocolate chips when they are chilled. The refrigeration is definitely not optional as far as I’m concerned!
Grab a glass of milk and dig in!
One year ago: Pumpkin Pie
Two years ago: Dill Sandwich Pickles
Six years ago: Baby Onesie Sugar Cookies
Ina's Outrageous Brownies
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) unsalted butter
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 2¼ cups (450 g) granulated sugar
- 6 extra-large eggs, or 7 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (351 g) chopped walnuts
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13x18-inch rimmed half sheet pan (or grease and line with parchment paper).
- Place the butter, semisweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl and microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. (Alternately, you can also melt the butter and chocolates in a double boiler on the stovetop). Allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a wooden spoon. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir gently with the wooden spoon until mostly combined. In a medium bowl, toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with the remaining ¼ cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter and stir until totally incorporated. Pour into the baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and cut into 20 large squares. Leftover brownies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on October 9, 2007.
sounds great! just wondering if i can use 3c of cocoa powder instead of 3c of sweetened chocolates. thanks
Here’s a substitution chart!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/ChocolateSubstitutionChart.htm
This is a great recipe. Real thick
Did you see Ina’s carmelized brownies show? Salt and chocolate! she talks about the different salts she uses.. know I recently discovered the wonders of salt and chocolate; its like using the coffee granules.. (I see someone already mentioned this) ;-)
BTW; how do I get unsweetend cocoa? is it the powdered kind and do I measure out the oz’s called for in the recipe? Ina uses the bars of unsweetened chocolate and I don’t have that handy..is powdered ok? and do I measure it the same? Thanks!
Oh wait; it says to substitute 3T powdered cocoa + 1T oil to = 1oz baking chocolate; so I guess 9T powdered cocoa + 3 T oil might work…I’ll try it and see
I made this for work and it was gone less than an hour.. I am so glad I saved me a piece
I hope this isn’t a dumb question but ….can I substitute the unsweetened chocolate for unsweetened cocoa powder?
Hi Mandi, I would not recommend that substitution, as the melted chocolate adds to the texture of the brownies.
What do you think of sprinkling sea salt on top when they come out of the oven?
Sounds amazing, go for it!
Make sure and at least try it the first time with the instant coffee granules. Chefs will tell you that coffee heightens the flavor of chocolate, and they usually sneak it in any chocolate dessert they make. You can’t taste the coffee at all, and with a dessert this size any caffeine would be minimal.
I MADE IT!! I followed the exact recipe and it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I ate these brownies at a restaurant and really wanted to find and try it. I have never been very successful with any recipe of brownies and sometimes Ina’s recipes are a little challenging, but this was great! Thanks.
I have tried sooo many brownie recipes (over 20) and have never had one turn out like the way a picture looks. I followed this recipe to the T and did not find it to be “the” brownie recipe Ive been searching for. They were definitely edible, but were a little crumbly and not really fudgy and thick the way the picture looks. The top of mine did not look cracked either…it was more flat. I baked for 25 minutes at 350 in a glass pan and think that might’ve been too long. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong with brownies. I hate to admit it but a boxed brownie mix is still the best brownie..I refuse to give up the search for the foolproof brownie recipe.
Mine also came out crumbly !!! What did I do wrong ??
Hi Mary, As I mentioned above, making adjustments to the ingredients will definitely alter the final product. I would try making it as directed.
How long will these brownies keep for?
About 5 days.
Hi , I just made my brownies tonight . I used only 1 1/4 cup of sugar . It came out crumbly . Would that be the reason?
Hi Mary, Yes, adjusting any of the ingredients or technique can affect the final result.
I have been looking for a dense, fudgy brownie recipe to replicate an obsession of mine from a great local bakery. I thought this might be it (judging by picture alone) until I saw there was baking powder in the recipe. Do you think omitting the baking powder or lessening the amount used would effect the outcome in any way? The brownie I am trying to replicate has ZERO cake quality, tastes and feels like a piece of fudge in your mouth and absolutely melts away on your tongue. Thoughts?
Hi Mindy, If you’re looking for a recipe without leavening agents, I would recommend the Baked Brownie – it’s fabulous and VERY fudgy: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/08/the-baked-brownie/
Just found you on bloglovin’ and LOVE that you did this side-by-side comparison! I just made the Ina brownies so my husband can bring to a dept. meeting at work, and he said they were the best brownie he has ever rated; ever! thanks for the great recipe!’
I looooooove this recipe! I am definitely going to make these soon. I love Ina so that is another reason why I enjoyed this so much:)
If you want to take the outrageousness one step further, after you remove the brownies from the oven and while still warm, drizzle the top of the brownies with a good caramel sauce that has been warmed slightly. Then sprinkle with large granule or flaked kosher salt. Truly decadent! This version is also from Ina Garten in her most recent cookbook.
Great website! Question: Could you tell me what this means in the recipe” Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough”
Hi Shannon, Thank you! Basically just pick the pan up a tiny bit and then let it fall back on the oven rack. This will pop any air bubbles.
Did you bake these brownies in covection, convection bake or regular bake and if not in regular bake how did you adjust your time and temperature? Ina says her half sheet pans are 2″ high but all of mine are only around 1 and 1/4″ high. Think i will definitely use a metal pan and make 1/2 batch. Can’t wait.
Thanks,
A true chocoholic
Hi Carole, I used a regular oven so I’m sorry I’m not much help on the conversions. Enjoy the brownies!
Michelle, I have made these brownies for events and many people ask me to bake them. I am not a big walnut fan but really like them in these brownies! I think one of the things that makes these brownies “outrageous” is the addition of the coffee granules. It intensifies the chocolate flavor for me. They freeze great as well. Fantastic flavor!!!!
Great looking brownies… Thank you all for the baking tips. I’m gonna make this for my friend’s birthday next week.
Do you think it’d be ok to use all semisweet chocolate (no unsweetened) and reduce the sugar by 2 tablespoons? Or should I just keep the sugar?
Hi Sarah, I think that’s too much unsweetened to compensate by only removing 2 tablespoons of sugar. Is there a reason you don’t want to use unsweetened? It really helps to balance the flavors and make sure the brownies aren’t too overwhelmingly sweet.
I have these baking right now and my house smell heavenly!
I can almost smell them! Enjoy your brownies!
I tried the original recipe of Ina’s a few years ago and they are outrageous and decadent!! Bu far my favorite brownie ever!
I have Ina’s “Barefoot Contessa” cookbook with this recipe and have tried it several times. This is one of the most decadent brownies I have ever tasted! One word of caution (if you are using the original recipe)… It suggests baking them in a 12x18x1 pan. I found that the amount of batter in the recipe is too much for this size pan — unfortunately I didn’t figure this out until it bubbled over the sides of the pan and burned to the bottom of my oven. It ruined that batch as the smoke in the oven spoiled the flavor of the brownies (and wasted a lot of expensive ingredients to boot). Now I just reserve a bit of the batter and bake it in a separate pan — they will rise quite a bit even with rapping the pan on rack halfway through baking (as the recipe suggests). Super delish!
Hi Liza, Thanks so much for the baking tips! I have only ever made a half batch, so great to know about the size issue for the whole recipe!
I agree that it is not an inexpensive brownie to make – but sooooo worth making. My version of the original Ina recipe calls for a 13 x 18 inch pan (a half sheet pan). That might work best to avoid your spillage issue. I have made them several times in a half sheet pan and never had a problem with it. Good luck!
I made these! and OH MY GOODNESS they were good. I kept them in a fridge and nibbled on them all week. Everyone loved them.
One thing: It was really really chocolately – I was just wondering if the amount of chocolate could be reduced without compromising on taste..
Hi chiew, I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies! As far as reducing the amount of chocolate… you likely couldn’t reduce the amount of melted chocolate without then altering the amount of sugar and potentially butter as well. I would probably recommend cutting the squares into smaller pieces or omit the chocolate chips that are mixed into the batter. That may help a bit.
Substituted the semi-sweet and unsweet chocolate with some Hershey’s Mint Chips. SMELL HEAVENLY!
These look wonderful!! I was wondering..is it really 4 teaspoons of baking powder? It sounded like alot…so I wanted to make sure. Thanks so much!
Hi Gessica – Wow, thank you so much for catching that!! It should be 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder. No idea where 4 came from! I have edited the recipe so it’s now correct.
Hi ive baked many recipes in my life but allot of these things dont make sence and I really wana make these brownies. There are allot of brownies out there that are loosing the idea of what brownies are and these are the best I have come accros.
Stuff like this makes no sence: rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough.
You want to tap the pan against a hard surface to get any air bubbles out. It can be the counter instead of the oven. After you put the batter in. Pick the pan up and tap it few times on the counter.
I’ve been looking for a good chewy brownie recipe and everywhere i look i see this recipe. I love your site so I shall follow in your footsteps and try this yummy recipe! thanks for the post!
Jenn Chambers (www.bakingchamber.blogspot.com)
wow, they look amazing!!! oooooh I just love chocolate! x
Oh my, these look and sound amazing!!! I would gladly sample one if you have some left. ;)
These look and sound heavenly! I love the deep dish recipe but just looking at these is making me question that love! Yum!
I haven’t tried this recipe, but it sounds amazing!! I would have a hard time waiting until they cooled as well!