I have banned all boxed brownie, cookie and cake mixes from my life for ages now, but making desserts from scratch isn't always the easiest way to make treats. Box mixes are great in that they are easy and pretty reliable -- they should come out perfect every time. But, what's "perfect?" Take brownies for instance. Some people want them cake-like with a hint of cocoa and a super sweet icing. Some want them to be crunchy and chewy. Others, like my sister, want them practically raw in the middle. I like a happy medium -- I want my brownies to be light, but also rich and decadent. Luckily, I think I have the perfect recipe. Minus the boxed mix.
After some searching online, I found some great brownie recipes and then did what I usually end up doing after I've printed out a recipe -- ignore it and do it my own way. So, here goes.
Super Brownies
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
To Do:
- Flour/butter a square cake/brownie pan (8-9 inches). I like to just douse the pan with a baking spray -- it makes quick work of a rather annoying task. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter on the stove and remove from heat. Stir in the sugar, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Lightly whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the sugar/butter mixture, stirring as you add.
- Add the vanilla and cinnamon and give another stir.
- Mix in the cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder until you have a nice, shiny chocolate batter.
- Stir in the chocolate chips -- the batter should still be slightly warm, so some of the chips will melt into it, which is perfect.
- Transfer the batter to your brownie pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Do not leave them in too long -- they'll continue to firm up after you take them out of the oven.
- Enjoy as is, or frost with your favorite icing. However, I'm of the mind that there's no reason to make icing if there's a jar of Nutella in the house, so I spread some of it over the brownies while they were still warm.
- The brownies were light in the hand, but rich and dense in the middle. The cinnamon gave a nice kick and the Nutella "icing" added just a bit more sweet. I could have eaten the whole pan in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.
- Touchdown!
xoxox
P.S. I have something special for you this week. A "Guest Blogger" is going to share her cookery with you...first up is Jessica Schein. Stay tuned.
