Really "BIG" Brownies

Yesterday my granddaughter Kate was here with a temperature and as she felt better in the afternoon wanted to bake with me so this is what we made.

This is also the beginning of the tailgate, reunion, picnic, and all manner of get together season so I am going to start sharing some of my collection of big batch recipes.  This is the most fudgy chocolate and moist brownie I have ever tasted.  It MUST be baked in a half sheet pan which is 13"x 18" x 1 1/2".  I line the pan with heavy duty extra wide aluminum foil.  Butter and flour the pan and set it aside.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  The benefit of using the foil is to cut and remove the cookies with more ease and less crumble.  Depending on how you cut these you will yield several dozen.  I have also sliced these and made ice cream sandwiches that are truly "over the top"!

4 sticks, (1 pound of butter)
1 12 oz. pkg.  plus 2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips to make the batter, (1 pound chips)
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips to add (12 oz. pkg.chips)
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 extra large eggs
3 T. instant espresso or instant coffee powder
2 T. real vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. flour ( hold back the 1/4 c. to coat the choc chips and nuts)
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 c. chopped nutmeats if desired

Place a large pan with about 1" of water in the bottom on the stove and heat.  Sit a large glass bowl over the top of the pan and melt together the butter, the first portion of chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate.  Keep the burner turned down do not put it on high heat.  Just watch it and stir occasionally as it melts.  This takes a while and I do other things and don't hurry it, just stir and melt, eventually it will be a succulent smooth chocolate "ooze" that smells like chocolate heaven. Then let it cool slightly.  I sit the bowl off the pan on a kitchen towel on the counter to rest and I go to the next step.
Stir together in a large mixing bowl the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar.  Mix well then slowly and gradually stir in the chocolate mixture.  Take this slowly.  Add maybe a cup in the beginning and stir then add a bit more.  This tempers the eggs.  If you were to dump all the melted hot chocolate mixture at once it might cook the eggs and you could be left with chocolate scrambled eggs!!!
Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add this into the chocolate mixture until just combined.  Toss the reserved flour, chocolate chips and nuts all together to coat with flour.  This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan evenly.
Bake about 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  I had to add 5 minutes 2 times so be sure and test with a tooth pick.  Do not over bake.  Cool well and cut into bars.   I have put these in the refrigerator before to hasten cooling.

This was adapted room an Ina Garten recipe and she adapted it from Soho Charcuterie Cookbook where they were called chocolate globs.