When your first stop picking up ingredients for baking is the liquor store, you know it’s going to be a good week. And when the recipe calls for a pound of butter (that’s an entire 4 stick box), you know it’s going to be that much better.

I finished first semester finals on Friday, and am officially halfway through law school. With all of my newfound free time, and after a request that I bake brownies, I wanted to find a more involved recipe, so these are not your run-of-the-mill, mix it up and dump it in a pan brownies. These involved multiple stages and some good old fashioned wooden spoon mixing. In other words, I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon.

First, melt 2 2/3 cups chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate, and butter in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Set aside to cool. As you can see, my bowl was maybe just a little too small for this, but I made it work. I also forgot to get bittersweet chocolate, but was able to scrounge up enough in my cabinet leftover from past recipes (and supplemented with some dark chocolate chunks) that it all worked out.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder and the salt.In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, kahlua, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and vodka by stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. While the chocolate is still warm, pour it into the egg mixture in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Completely stir in all of the chocolate.In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups of chocolate chips, walnuts, and 1/4 cup flour.When the batter is at room temperature, stir in the flour mixture until incorporated. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips until well mixed. A note on the walnuts – when I say pieces, I mean just as they come out of the bag. Really. I think this could be a game changer in the brownie world – so much more surface area for crunching. Please don’t chop them any further, no matter how tempting it seems – you’ll see the light when you try one. Pour the batter into a 18×12 inch jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Spread with a rubber spatula to evenly distribute.Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and reduce the heat to 325°F, baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the edges begin to pull away from the side and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.When cool, cut into squares.As I mentioned, I had quite a bit of time on my hands, so I tried for the artsy stacked pictures you see all over Instagram. Unfortunately, I still have no idea how bakeries get their cuts to be so clean and their tops to be so not cracked.

Whatever, they’re still delicious and fudgy and all things chocolate. Store them in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Kahlua Brownies

Ingredients:

• 4 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups flour, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup Kahlua or other coffee liqeur
• 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 3 cups walnut pieces

Directions:

1. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt 2 2/3 cups chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate, and butter, stirring frequently, until smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, kahlua, espresso powder, vanilla extract and vodka by stirring with a wooden spoon until well blended.
4. While the melted chocolate is still warm, pour it into the egg mixture in a steady stream, stirring all the while. Stir in all chocolate until smooth and set aside to cool completely.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 2 cups of chocolate chips, walnut pieces, and 1/4 cup flour.
6. When the mixture is cool, stir in the baking powder mixture until just combined.
7. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
8. Pour batter into a 12×18 inch jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
9. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Rotate pan and reduce heat to 325°F. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the edges begin to pull from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.