Maida Heatter's Palm Beach Brownies

We are still snowed in and spending lots of time in front of the fireplace.  After looking through my pantry, I decided to bake up some brownies to satisfy my sweet tooth--my need to have a little something something after meals. I took out my go-to brownie recipe and decided to try something new on second thought. I had been doing some research on Maida Heatter and apparently she became famous on brownies; specifically, her Palm Beach Brownies. So I decided to give her recipe a try. The result: sinfully fudgy, almondy brownies that don't disappoint. I had to give most of them away so I wouldn't eat them all because with a glass of milk, one can do a lot of damage. I'm not a brownie connoiseur but these particular brownies taste the best the next day or after having several hours of rest after they come out of the oven. The almond extract comes through in every bite. The walnuts are of course optional but highly recommended.

Recipe adapted from Maida Heatter's Palm Beach Brownies

Preheat oven to 425F.

13 x 9 inch pan

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 generous cups of walnuts

5 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP + 1 tsp instant espresso powder

3 3/4 Cup sugar

1 2/3 cup flour

Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat or in a small, heavy saucepan on low heat, stirring occasionally. When combined, remove from heat and set aside.

Break the walnuts into pieces if necessary, trying to keep them fairly large. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla and almond extract, salt, espresso and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture and beat only until mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, reversing the pan from front to back once to ensure even baking. At the end of 35 minutes, the cake will have a firm crust and the edges may be very dark.  MUST cool or refrigerated for several hours before serving.