Snack Recipe: Extra-Dark Brownies with Sea Salt & Lime

When it comes to brownies it seems as though the sky is the limit. You can add almost anything to their moist interior, making each mouthful full of figurative fireworks. So why would you want to add something extra-dark, even bitter? The same reason you add lime to your beer — it just tastes good.

But unsweetened chocolate? Really? Sure there are bittersweet and very bittersweet chocolates that can be used in this recipe if you're too timid for the full-out unsweetened chocolate. But unsweetened chocolate, when chopped finely, balances out the sweetness and sugar in this recipe. To me, this just makes them all that more addictive.

They won't leave a bitter taste on your tongue, but that extra-dark bitterness does balance out the sweetness and the citrus in the lime, and they are fabulous with a scoop of ice cream. No matter how you enjoy these, your taste buds will thank you!

Extra-Dark Brownies with Sea Salt & Lime
16 2-inch square brownies

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 325°F and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the paper extra-long and hanging over two sides.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate over medium-low heat. Stir until smooth.

Remove pan from the heat and add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla and kosher salt. Mix until combined. Then add lime juice and zest, as well as the finely chopped unsweetened chocolate. Stir to combine and pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the sea salt on the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester comes out moist. It will not be perfectly clean, but it shouldn't be sticky either. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing brownies from pan. To remove the brownies, run a knife around the sides of the pan to help release the brownies, then lift out the parchment paper. Place the brownies on the paper back on the wire rack. Cool completely and cut into 2 inch squares.

Enjoy!

Related: Recipe: Brownie Bites To Go!

(Images: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (12)

Thanks! I love a good brownie recipe and this looks excellent.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA yum. yum. YUMMMMM. These go on the list.

(okay P.S. I would love to serve these with a nice red wine, which is what great dark chocolate's more "salty" profile makes me want. That these are punched up with sea salt makes me want that all the more. An elegant take on a homey sweet.)

General question that hopefully someone can help with- just signed up as I love thus site but what's the best way to save these recipes as there isn't a print or email function?

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@lazy_lurker: thanks for the suggestion! I will def check it out

Oh my! I have been looking for a dessert recipe to post for Cinco de Mayo. I believe these are about to become Margarita Brownies.

I use evernote to save recipes.

I made these tonight and they are intense and YUMMY - but they're much more like a flourless chocolate cake that you'd eat with a fork than a brownie. Great though. You can't taste the lime as much as you'd think, but the salt is a great flavor combo with the chocolate.

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These are absolutely fantastic! I brought them in for my coworkers today and nearly everybody asked for the recipe. The sea salt was too strong for some people, but if you take small bites, the salt really brings out the lime and the bitterness and sweetness of the chocolate really balances everything out. I will *definitely* make these brownies again!

very rich and different. I can tast the lime pretty strongly in mine, but i had a lot of zest. It adds an interesting counter to the chocolate - a sugestion of sweetness without being really sweet. I used coarse kosher salt for the top, cause i didn't have flaky sea salt and it sank in - would buy the flaky salt next time. Also, next time I make this, i will leave the brownies in the pan much longer than 15 minutes before lifting them out.