All the warm, spicy flavors of your favorite holiday cookie in an extra-dense chocolate brownie that's perfect for gifting.
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes, plus cooling
Yield
Makes 16
Ingredients
2
1
1
1
4
3
2
1
2
2
1
1
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
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.
Step 2
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.
Step 3
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.
Step 4
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.