The Perfect Brownie

It's a cliché to have chocolate on Valentine's Day. But so are big puffy red hearts and oversized teddy bears. I'm okay with that, especially when chocolate comes in the form of these delicious brownies. These would be "perfect" brownies, to be exact. And perfect they are. Brownies are a funny thing and there are so many different types out there and everyone has a preference. There are some made with just cocoa, some made with only chocolate, with chocolate chips, with nuts, without nuts, frosted, iced, glazed. Then there's the cakey, the fudgy and the chewy. Me? I like them chewy on the edges, a little fudgy in the middle, plain with no adornments and there must me a shiny crackly top. Enter the "perfect" brownie. 

 

I found these brownies through a fellow Instagrammer named Cheryl. She posted a photo on her Instagram of a recipe she made from Blackjack Bake House and was kind enough to share the link with me. Thanks Cheryl! There are so many drool worthy recipes on her site that I want to try. I read her description for these brownies and they were high on the top of my list. For the longest time, I thought that the only way to achieve chewy brownies was to make them from a boxed mix. And while those are still delicious, I prefer to make them homemade. I just never quite found the right recipe.  I tend to be a "cocoa only" type of brownie girl, but the added melted chocolate in these makes them a little richer and denser. if you want to add nuts, chocolate chips or chopped up candy, feel free to personalize them. You'll have everyone (even sneaky toddlers) reaching for one!

Perfect Brownies adapted from Blackjack Bake House

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• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips 
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Make sure the edges are long enough to drape over the sides of the pan, for easy brownie removal. Butter the foil or parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray and set aside.   

In small bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour and salt. Set aside.

Melt butter over double boiler. Add sugar and chopped chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is fairly smooth (it will be grainy). Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.

Add eggs to lukewarm chocolate mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture and beat on medium speed for a full 3 minutes. (This is important to the success of the recipe)

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly over the bottom and into the corners. 

Bake for about 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in brownies comes out mostly clean. 

To store, wrap in plastic or store in airtight container at room temperature.

Happy Valentine's Day! Lots of love to you all!