Thomas Keller’s Brownies
on Nov 25, 2013, Updated Jan 03, 2021
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Mention The French Laundry, Per Se, three star Michelin ratings, and American chefs. Chances are excellent that connotations of Thomas Keller will come to mind, along with haute cuisine and the very finest of fine dining. It is equally likely however, there is one thing that does not come to mind when you think of Thomas Keller. If this is the case, friends you are missing out. Take a look at this post and then add one more item to the list: Brownies.
By happenstance I ended up at our small lake cottage in rural Wisconsin, this weekend as a single parent of six boys. While Scott attended to matters in town, Jake, Noah, Joe, Ike, Asher, and Nate hung out with me, in God’s country.
This was the last weekend before Thanksgiving and everyone was planning their holiday menus. However, aside from the holiday calendar, this weekend was pivotal for another reason here in the heartland of the U.S. The weather turned cold. Quickly.
When we awoke Sunday morning, it was a mere 5 degrees, Fahrenheit, on the outside. While the lake iced over and and a finger-shaped island of snow appeared overnight, we arose to the cozy yellow glow of our pellet stove. The morning progressed from breakfast, to a repeat of Saturday night’s feature move of Now You See Me, to a the unanimous request for brownies.
I had a choice. I could take the easy way out and reach for the box-mix in the cupboard above the stove or I could take the easy way out and delve into a cookbook gifted to me by my beautiful sister in-law-in-law, Tracy. O.K., I might have made that descriptor up, but she’s Scott’s sister in-law and she’s very nice and she gave me a cookbook set from Thomas Keller that she picked up at a book fair for just a couple of bucks.
All that aside, most of you know I’m not big on cookbooks, rather I never have been up, until lately. Mark my work, you will see more recipes featured from this one, right here on Platter Talk.
For now though, let me just say that on a bitterly cold and sunny Sunday mid-November morning, there is nothing that enhances the coziness of a warm lake cottage than the aroma coming from an oven with brownies in the making. My boys loved these, their dad loved these. I can’t imagine that you won’t as well. Give them a try, they are from Thomas Keller and brought to you today by Platter Talk.
Other delicious brownie recipes
- Pumpkin Brownies
- Supernatural Fudge Brownies Recipe Video & Platter Talk Kids
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Blueberry Vanilla Pudding Blondies
- #Blueberry & Chocolate Cheese #Brownie Cake

Thomas Keller's Brownies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces of 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, broken into chips.
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Butter and flour a 9" square baking pan. Set aside
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt half the butter and pour into a small mixing bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Add the remaining butter and whisk until creamy and there is just few bits of butter left.
- In a large mixing bowl of your stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Alternating with butter, add the dry ingredients in 3 parts ( dry, butter, dry, butter, dry, butter ).
- Stir in chocolate chips. At this point the batter can be covered and refrigerated for up to a week.
- When ready to bake, spread the batter in prepared pan. The batter will be thick. Smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake 40to 45 minutes, until the toothpick test shows only few crumbs.
- Cool in pan to room temperature.
- Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it really 3 sticks of butter??? 🌸
It sure is.
Wow! What big yummy flavors are in this brownie, Dan! Looks so scrumptious!
Thank you Hadia!
I am so glad you decided not to go with the boxed brownies and made these instead – even though I am not a big fan of recipe books either – I love hearing bout recipes that others try out that are a success! Thank you Dan for sharing this “Thomas Keller” brownie recipe! Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the boys in your abode 🙂
Shashi,
Thanks for dropping by, I would love to have shared one of these with you!! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving, to you and yours!!
Scrumptious! Loved reading your tale of the first cold snap in God’s Country. When it hits, the best remedies are fresh baked brownies or steaming cups of hot cocoa to keep you warm. Your prose was outstanding. I’m a huge fan of Chef Keller for many reasons. Not a cookbook collector? I think you may soon become one. I think we night have to add onto the house to accommodate my ever-growing collection. 😉 Your brownies look divine. Thanks for sharing, Dan!
Stacy,
Thank you for the nice comments – they made me smile and that felt good! These brownies made everyone smile but honestly, how could they not?! Thanks again for dropping by!!
Oh my! I can’t think of anything better than homemade brownies on a cold, Sunday, November morning, either! I’m so glad you shared these. Fudgy brownies are my favorite!
Katrina,
Thanks for the comments, it’s good to know you can relate!!
Delicious! I’m always on the lookout for a good brownie recipie. I hope your cabin had a heater.
Laura, thanks for the comments, and yes – a wonderful pellet stove keeps us toasty at our cottage this time of year!
These look AMAZING, Dan! TK definitely knows his stuff!
Marie,
Great to hear from you, and yes, I wish I could have shared one of these with you!