These chocolatey spelt and browned butter brownies should shoot to the top of your January baking list

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the rack in the centre of the oven. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 facing sides. Butter the parchment paper as well.

Step 3

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. The butter will froth and bubble and then turn golden. (It’s okay to give it a bit of a stir.) When it starts to brown and smell nutty, remove it from the heat and stir in the chocolate and both sugars until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. The batter will be shiny. Stir in the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Mix in the spelt flour just until combined.

Step 5

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it, 25–30 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut the brownies into 16 squares.

Step 7

Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Step 9

Note: If you can’t find spelt flour, use ½ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup whole wheat flour.

Step 12

Excerpted from All the Sweet Things by Renée Kohlman ©

Step 13

Recipe and image courtesy of TouchWood Editions.