Perhaps the best brownie recipe ever.

   After scouring the library for a cookbook to satiate my screaming desire for chocolate, I came across this gem. And after examining each recipe in it I decided to go for the very first one in the book for no reason more exciting than I had all of the ingredients on hand. They are simple, easy to make, out of this world fudge brownies.  I brought some along with me to work and songs of praise and mirth rang through Jamba Juice, so I decided I should whip up a second batch to bring along to knitting night. They are not yet out of the oven but the air in my house is absolutely swimming with melt-y chocolate goodness thanks to the little kiddies in my oven.

  Care to try some?

  all you'll need is-

14 tablespoons butter (unsalted is recommended, but if like me you haven't got any, just omit the salt)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips (or, again if you haven't got any, you can use 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate plus 1/3 cup extra sugar)

1  1/4 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

a small pinch of salt

and a 9x9 inch baking pan

   First thing first, we've got to melt the chocolate and butter together nice and gently on the stove.  If you're using unsweetened chocolate+sugar rather than the bittersweet chips, add the extra sugar once it's melted. Then kill the heat and let it cool down.

   Next, beat your eggs then add in your sugar and vanilla. Once your chocolate and butter are nice and cool, add them in and mix well.

   Then sift your flour right into your batter, and mix just until everything is combined.

  Because I'm a little bit of a crackpot, I don't just toss my nuts into the batter (because what is a brownie without walnuts?), I like to pour a touch of batter into my pan, the add a layer of coarsely chopped nuts, and top it off with the remaining batter before baking.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to preach the wonders of parchment paper! I rarely bake without it.

Then just bake at 350 for 33 minutes and let them cool at least an hour before cutting into them.

I, unfortunately have been unable to find my 9x9 pan, so I used a slightly smaller one and added some more time to my baking. I left them in the oven for just over 40 minutes, so if you use a smaller pan just make sure to use the toothpick test before taking them out.

I absolutely adore this recipe, it's so easy to make, takes less than fifteen minutes to get the batter done, and makes barely any dishes to clean (!). Everyone I've fed these to, cake brownie connoisseurs included, have gone completely mad for these.

I do hope you give them a try, you will not be disappointed! A big thanks to Patricia Helding, the author of Fat Witch Brownies and don't forget to leave a comment if you make some!

love and gluttony,

Paige.