1, May 2007
Brownies

This is my standard simple brownie recipe. You can find it on the box of at least two different brands of baking chocolate. They’re simple but good, at least if you do it right. Don’t forget my two brownie secrets: (1) underbake them; and (2) use a pizza cutter to slice them.



Ingredients
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
1 c chopped pecans

Directions
preheat oven to 350. microwave the butter and chocolate in a large glass bowl for two minutes. stir until the chocolate is all melted. mix in the sugar. add the eggs and vanilla. mix in the flour gradually. fold in the nutz. butter and flour a 13×9 pan and pour in the batter. bake for about 30 min; take them out when a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. if they’re a bit fudgy and underdone, that’s perfect.
Variations
This is the basic recipe I always experiment with. Use different nuts, or no nuts, or more nuts, or chocolate chips. Add a teaspoon or so of coarse-crystal salt instead of the nuts. Add about a tsp of cayenne pepper, some cinnamon, and ginger powder. etc. I’ve also been using white whole wheat flour in place of white flour for everything lately and it’s great. And you can generally reduce the sugar by 1/2 c or so for a slightly darker, less sweet brownie.
Verdict
Simple and awesome.