I’m sort of aggressive about my brownies. I’ll walk up to people at work functions and parties and say, “Those are the best brownies, aren’t they?” The thing about brownies is that they are so simple. And it’s my pet peeve (well, one of them), that people do crazy things around brownies. They frost them or use a mix or buy gigantic ones at coffee shops. The best brownie, I will maintain until my dying day or until someone proves otherwise, is a simple, homemade, normal-sized brownie.
Homemade brownies:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the microwave; about 1.5 minutes. Add one the butter and continue melting for another 40 seconds or so. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a bowl. When the chocolate and butter are melted (and they don’t have to be completely melted. Give them a mix and they will finish melting from their own heat), pour over the sugar and mix with a whisk. Add the eggs, whisking after each and being snappy about it so that the hot ingredients don’t cook them. Add the salt. Add the flour. Add the vanilla. Add the walnuts if you want. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Cut them as soon as they come out, so the top doesn’t have time to crust over and crumble as you cut. If you just need a few, this recipe halves very well; bake in a 9 x 9 inch pan. They are best eaten fresh, within about 2 days. Sometimes I freeze a few and then I look like a genius for pulling a homemade dessert out of my hat. If dinner isn’t too successful, it’s always nice to be able to follow it up with a freezer-brownie.
The reason brownie mixes are my pet peeve is that making them from scratch takes just 5 minutes and the flavor is more chocolaty and delicious. Eaten with a glass of milk … mmmm, nothing better or more fundamental. Yes, that’s it, call me a fundamentalist … when it comes to brownies. Please tell me you’re not using a box.
OK, I’m convinced!
I’ve always made brownies out of a box, mostly because I’ve usually been pretty happy with the results. But you have inspired me…I’m going to buy unsweetened chocolate today and make them with my boys this afternoon. Thanks for making me realize how easy it is!