Brownies...

I caught the baking bug yesterday and tried out a new brownie recipe that I found on the back of a bag of flour. They turned out perfectly!! I thought I'd share, just in case anyone else is in the mood...

Oh, and I'd post a picture, if the pan weren't half-devoured already!! But that would be kind of embarrassing...

"The Best Fudge Brownies Ever"

1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa (I used plain Hershey's)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and then stir in the sugar. Re-heat the mixture just to hot--but not bubbling. I heated in 30-second increments, stirring after each run. (FYI, this process is designed to dissolve some of the sugar and give the top of your brownies a nice sheen...)

Transfer the butter mixture to a large-ish mixing bowl, and then add the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Stir to combine, and then add the four eggs, beating well until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour and chocolate chips, beating again until well-combined. (Your mixture will be VERY thick, but I stuck with just a wire whisk... so much easier than dragging out the mixer! Also, add the chips and flour at the SAME time... chocolate chips coated in flour won't sink to the bottom of the pan as the mixture begins to heat.)

Put the batter in the 9x13 and bake for about 30 minutes. Mine took an additional couple of minutes before a cake tester came out clean in the center.



We ate these warm last night, but then I stashed them in the fridge because I've got a thing for cold brownies. Everyone loved the recipe--and they'll go a long way because they're so rich and dense. Yummy!!