Sebastian's Remarkably Wonderful Brownies

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups (113 grams) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons; 5½ ounces; 156 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature

2½ cups (500 grams) sugar

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature

Center rack in the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees. Butter the sides of a 9-x-13-inch baking pan, dust the interior with cocoa powder, tap out the excess and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Sift the flour and cocoa together.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt together at low speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. If you're using a stand mixer, switch to the whisk attachment. With the mixer on medium-high pour in the eggs, then beat for about 5 minutes more or until the mixture has at least doubled in volume. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients, checking the bottom of the bowl frequently for dry ingredients. Don't be discouraged when your light batter collapses - it's unavoidable. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes, or until the brownies have puffed - the top may crack here and there - and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and allow the brownies to cool until they are slightly warm or at room temperature.

Run a table knife between the brownies and the sides of the pan, cut the brownies into quarters and carefully lift the quarters out of the pan with a broad spatula. Cut the brownies into 20 bars.

Wrapped well, the brownies will keep at room temperature for about 3 days. Packed airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Nutrition values per brownie: 218 calories(32.9 percent from fat), 8 g fat(4.6 g saturated fat), 34.2 g carbohydrates, 25.1 g sugars, 1.3 g fiber, 3.2 g protein, 59 mg cholesterol, 73 mg sodium.

From "Dories' Cookies" by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2016)