Chocolate Rye Brownies

I've had the recipe for chocolate rye brownies bookmarked from my very first glance through the Violet Bakery cookbook. It's a flavor pairing that deserves a lot more popularity in baking, as the rye highlights the berry notes in (good) dark chocolate while adding an addictive tangy dimension. I first tried the combination of chocolate and rye at Tartine in San Francisco and loved it in their chocolate rye "linzer" bar (which I've tried replicating at home with mixed success). Since Tartine is where Violet says she found her inspiration for these brownies, I was really excited for her version.

These brownies have been pretty heavily featured in the food media, including the recently concluded Piglet (where Violet Bakery made it to the semi-finals). Based on these brownies (as well as the cream scones and sweet potato-date muffins I've made and will post about soon), Violet Bakery deserves all the praise it's been getting and then some. The week I made these, I also made a caramel-filled version of Brooksters from Baked Elements, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Ovenly, Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread from Back in the Day Bakery, Oatmeal Fudge Bars from Cook's Illustrated Comfort Food, Fiery Chocolate Bread from Sweet & Vicious, Nutella cookies from Baked Occasions, Black Bean Brownies from Deliciously Ella Every Day, and the Conversation Heart Cakes from Baked Occasions. Whoa. So much chocolate. The list looks pretty ridiculous when I type it all out at once. In my defense, my co-workers were very happy (except the ones with diabetes). By unofficial vote, the caramel Brooksters were the favorite, but these chocolate rye brownies were a close second. (People tried the black bean brownies, and I'm only guessing here, threw them out when they got back to their office. The black bean brownies are the only "treat" I've taken to work where I've been left with more than half a 9x13 pan at the end of the day.)

These brownies come together quickly, like all good brownies ought. I did reduce the amount of sugar I used from the original recipe (down from 2 to 1.5 cups), because I noticed quite a few of the negative comments on these brownies were directed at them being too sweet. For my personal sweet tooth, my reduction was just right, but feel free to up the amount if you see fit. On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend dropping it much more. (One other thing about those online comments - this recipe has gotten changed around a bit online compared with the cookbook recipe; the cookbook version is what I used/am posting).

The batter for these was quite dense, as you can see from this photo of the brownie batter in the pan. I spread it out as best I could and baked them at 355 for 17-20 minutes (the exact amount of time depending on my oven). They turned out quite dense and very rich. I really liked them, both at room temperature as well as slightly chilled from the refrigerator. From the fridge, they are almost like eating a decadent dark chocolate fudge. It's dangerous....

Chocolate Rye Brownies from Violet Bakery

I did reduce the sugar in these by ¼ cup each (which is reflected in the recipe). For me, this amount (1 ½ cups total sugar) was perfect, but some people might prefer them to be more or less sweet.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 large or 24 small brownies

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup (150 g) unsalted butter, cubed
• 10 ½ ounces (300 g) bittersweet or dark chocolate 60 to 70% cocoa, chopped
• 1 ⅓ cups (200 g) whole grain rye flour
• ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
• 4 large eggs (200 g)
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar not packed
• 1 Tablespoon (15 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) flaky sea salt for sprinkling over top

Instructions

• Heat oven to 355 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• In a microwave-proof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together by nuking for 30 second intervals. Stir after every interval. This should take about 2-3 minutes total microwave time. [Alternatively, use a double boiler to melt.] Let cool.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together rye flour, cocoa, baking powder and sea salt.
• Beat eggs, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer.
• Beat in chocolate-butter mixture until smooth.
• Beat in flour mixture until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle lightly with flaky salt. Bake until brownies are mostly firm, with a slight wobble in the center, about 17-22 minutes.
• Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
• Serve within 1 day of baking or keep in refrigerator/freezer.