GINGERBREAD BROWNIES

Gingerbread Brownies image

Provided by Rhoda Boone

Yield Makes 16

Number Of Ingredients 13

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons molasses (not robust/blackstrap)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Steps:

Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Coat a 9x9" baking pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with 2 overlapping layers of parchment, leaving a 2" overhang on all sides. Coat parchment with nonstick spray.
Whisk sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium heatproof bowl in the microwave or in a medium pot over medium heat. Immediately add hot butter to sugar mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously with spoon or spatula after each addition, until batter is thick, shiny, and smooth. Stir in molasses and vanilla. Using a sifter or fine-mesh sieve, sift in flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and cloves. Stir until well incorporated, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes.
Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake brownie until slightly puffed and top is firm to the touch, edges are set, center is moist but not uncooked, and a tester or paring knife inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs (not runny batter) attached, 40-45 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and let brownie cool completely in pan. Using parchment overhang, lift brownie out of pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.