Preheat the oven to 350. To make the brownies, start by browning your butter — add the butter to a pot or large pan over medium heat. Let the butter melt and begin to bubble. After a couple minutes, it will foam up a lot, then the foaming will subside, and you’ll be left with brown, nutty smelling butter!
To the brown butter, add chocolate chips, sugar, and brown sugar. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Then add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly after adding each one.
Sift in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour the brownie batter into a greased or lined 9x13 inch pan. Cook at 350 for 38-42 minutes. The brownies should be mostly set but still jiggle a little.
While the brownies cool, make the custard. Add the milk, cornstarch, and sugar to a pan over medium heat. Whisk thoroughly so no clumps form. When the mixture begins to bubble / lightly boil, take off the heat. Add vanilla and stir.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Pour a couple tablespoons of the hot liquid into the egg yolks and stir immediately. The eggs are now tempered. Pour the egg mixture back into the warm milk mixture, whisking throughout.
Put the mixture back onto the stove over medium heat. Cook for 3-5 more minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and has custard consistency. Take off the heat and pour onto the cooled brownies. Evenly spread out the mixture, cover, and transfer to the fridge.
Once the custard has completely cooled and set up, lift the brownies out of the pan and slice into about 2” squares. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar onto each slice. If using a creme brûlée torch, torch the tops of each until the sugar melts. If you don’t have a torch, turn the oven to broil on high or 450. Cook in the oven for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar has melted. Watch it the whole time so it doesn’t burn!! And enjoy!
