Chocolate Brownies

Late night craving for brownies! In less than 30 minutes I had fresh brownies to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. These are more cakey and less fudgey than the Brooke's Bombshell Brownies from the Slutty Brownies (layers of brownie + chocolate chip cookie dough + Oreo's).

I started to half the recipe and then forgot I was doing that... so the recipe had half the amount of butter and chocolate and then the regular amounts for the rest of the ingredients. I just went with it rather than trying to adjust the butter once I read these Brownie Tips. This make the brownie more cake like than fudge like. I liked these better than the other brownies I've made in the past.

I baked these in muffin tins using the silicon muffin holder-things and the brownies don't stick very much to those.

Chocolate Brownies

adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

¼ cup unsalted butter
4 - 8 ounces coarsely chopped quality semi-sweet chocolate (4 oz was plenty chocolate-y)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhand on all sides. Set aside. (If using cupcake tin use cupcake papers or use non-stick spray, seriously, they will stick).

In a medium microwave safe bowl melt butter and chocolate, at 20 second increments, stirring after each, in the microwave. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl, and allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35. Mini-cupcakes take about 20 minutes, regular size cupcakes take about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done.

Let brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. For neat squares, use a very sharp knife and wipe it clean with a paper towel after each cut.

The brownies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.