Recipe for Fudgy Brownies

I love brownies.

Well I actually love chocolate and brownies are a version of chocolate, so brownies are chocolate…therefore I love brownies!

Brownies especially hold a special place in my dessert heart because they were one of the very first things that I learned to bake on my own.

My mom, being the awesome cook that she is, always kept an endless supply of flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and some form of chocolate chips on hand and all of those ingredients are exactly what you need to make up a batch of delicious brownies. Now today I find myself always having a pantry full of the ingredients required to make brownies and so it is very easy for me to whip them up in a pinch.

To me brownies are best when they come fresh out of the oven. That is the time when they are warm, moist, chewy, and the chocolate just melts. It is also the perfect time to add a scoop of ice cream on top so that it melts just enough to mesh with the warm gooey brownie into the perfect sundae. But you may not always want a large square pan of brownies and so this recipe is perfect to make just 8 individual servings.

Fudgy Brownie Recipe Ingredients:

• 3.5 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Instructions: 

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 8.5 by 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil be sure to spray with non-stick cooking spray as well to ensure release of your brownies.

In a small bowl combine the chocolate chips, butter, and cocoa powder and place in the microwave and by setting on 30 second intervals at a time until the chocolate chips begin to melt, then remove and stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt until combined.

Then whisk in the chocolate mixture until combined. Stir the flour in with a rubber spatula until just combined. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean and you may need to rotate the pan halfway through baking.

Allow the brownies to cool in the pan completely before removing. Then lifting the brownies out using the paper or foil, cut the brownies into 2-inch squares. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For Vegan Brownies– Use vegan semisweet chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life), substitute the butter for Earth Balance (vegan butter), and use 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened apple sauce for the egg and egg yolk replacement.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen