Chocolate of the Gods

We recently spent a lovely, lazy day at Friends Lake in the Adirondacks with Dan's cousins and enjoyed a great gluten-free feast hosted by our happening hosts, Mike and Jill. Jill has recently found out that she has a gluten sensitivity, so needless to say we were madly swapping recipes and cooking/restaurant tips. Jill spoiled us all with some decadent Chocolate Brownies, for which I begged for the recipe. They are more like a silken, semi-sweet kind of fudge and have a nice Aztec hint of spice. Run to the kitchen and whip up a batch of these:

Flourless Fudge Brownies

6 large eggs, room temperature

18 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup unsalted butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by lining it with foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray or brushing it with vegetable oil.
3. Melt the semisweet chocolate and the butter in a double boiler (a pan set over a hot water bath); stir until smooth.
4. Add vanilla and cinnamon; stir thoroughly to combine.
5. Remove mixture from the heat and cool to room temperature.
6. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the eggs on high speed until very frothy and about triple in volume (approximately 5 minutes).
7. Fold half of the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture and combine.
8. Then fold in the remaining egg.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
10. Place the pan of brownie batter into a larger pan, like a roasting pan and fill that pan with hot water half way up the side of the smaller pan containing the batter.
11. Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
12. Turn off the oven but keep the brownies in the closed oven for another 10 minutes.
13. After 10 minutes, remove the brownies pan from the larger water bath pan and place it on a wire rack to cool while making the glaze.
14. To make the glaze, heat the cream and the dark chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water.
15. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
16. Pour the hot glaze over the brownies and smooth it out with a spatula.
17. Set the pan aside to cool completely.
18. When cool, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
19. Cut chilled brownie into 12 squares.
20. Brownies taste best when allowed to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.