Steve's Evil Kitchen Presents Krampus Brownies

No picture of the brownies. You know what brownies look like.

My Xmas present to you is my secret recipe for perfect brownies. The base is excellent by itself, but doesn't form the paper skin some demand, so I cover them with ganache and nuts.

Base

1 oz chopped unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c neutral vegetable oil (corn)
1 c sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Line an 8x8" baking pan with aluminum foil, grease the foil and dust with flour.

Melt the butter and chocolate (microwave). Cream with the sugar. Add corn syrup, oil, vanilla, salt and cocoa and mix. Add eggs and mix. Stir flour into mixture until just incorporated. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until just barely set in the middle. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares and remove from pan.

Ganache

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)

Heat in a double boiler until chips melt, mix until smooth. Spread over the tops of the brownie base.

Pecan topping

16 whole pecan "halves"
1 Tbsp butter
salt, to taste - preferably kosher

Melt butter in skillet on medium-low heat. Add the nuts and saute, stirring, until lightly brown and fragrant (10 minutes). Sprinkle nuts with salt, let cool and top each brownie with one.

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Because these are labor-intense, it's tempting to double the recipe, using a 9x13 pan and baking 30-35 minutes, but I have not had success with that.