Palm Beach Brownies

Ingredients

8 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 sticks butter
2 c walnuts
5 eggs
2 ts pure vanilla extract
1/2 ts almond extract
1/4 ts salt
1 powdered
3 3/4 c sugar
1 5/8 c unbleached flour sifted

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9x11x2-inch pan with foil. Brush well with melted butter. 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 extracts, salt, expresso 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 insure even baking. At the end of 35 minutes, the cake will have a firm crust, but when tested with a toothpick will appear underbaked. Do not be concerned, it is done. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand until cool. Invert the brownies onto a cookie sheet and remove the foil. Cover with length of waxed paper and another cookie sheet, invert again. This cake MUST be covered and refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before it is cut into bars. Makes 32 JUMBO brownies. Recipe By : Maida Heatter (3-22-96)