Brownies

I  grew up eating homemade brownies. It was the 1970’s, and my mother made the Fannie Farmer recipe that called for unsweetened Baker’s chocolate. This is how brownies are supposed to taste to me. Sometimes she would make half the pan without nuts because one of the neighbor kids we ran around the neighborhood with hated nuts. When we took a break from playing, we would all run in and have a snack. These are a comfort food for me because they are the brownies of my memories.

Whenever someone gives me brownies from a mix, I know the difference. I do like some of the brands of brownie mix, but they are just not the same. I have made brownie mix several times in the past few years because I wanted to make things as easy as possible. It is just not the same. They are a different texture and just not as fudgy and rich. I have begun feeling deprived of something I love that should be an easy basic. I needed to do something about this. Life is too short to not have good brownies.

I began to reconsider the recipe my mother used. Back then, we didn’t have a microwave. My mother melted the chocolate and butter in the brownie pan in the oven. I guess she must have had to wash out the pan to put the completed brownie batter in. I don’t remember this part because I was a kid and not the one doing the washing part. Now, with a microwave, this part of the recipe is so much easier. The rest of it only has a few more ingredients than a mix and it tastes so much better. I recently decided to try the old recipe and guess what? I can do it! The nuts are a must for me and  sometimes I even add a few extra. Now that I have figured out that I can make the good brownies again, life is better. Changing one step made all the difference for me.

*** I have combined the original recipe with a friend’s family cookbook recipe and the new recipe has a few more Tablespoons of butter. The original recipe has 6 Tablespoons instead of 8. Both recipes taste great.

Print Recipe

Brownies

How Brownies Should Taste

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brownies, Homemade, Scratch

Servings: 9

Ingredients

• 3 oz Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate
• 8 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon Table Salt
• 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup Walnut Pieces

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Butter a square 9×9-inch cake pan. (I like to put a square of parchment paper on the bottom and to butter on top of it).
• Melt  the chocolate and the butter in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. ***Preferred method-use a microwave (see modifications).
  
• Remove from heat or microwave. Mix in sugar.
  
• Add the eggs. vanilla, salt and sugar. Combine well.
  
• Mix in the walnuts.
  
• Spread in pan.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until dry on top and almost firm to touch.
• Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 1 hour, then cut the brownies into squares.
• ***Use a 9×13 pan to double the recipe.

Modifications

I can’t use my hands to break the Baker’s chocolate apart so I use a butter knife to push down on the seams to break it apart. This will help it melt more easily to incorporate with the butter in the microwave.

The microwave is the preferred way to melt the butter and chocolate for everybody. There are no worries about water getting in to the chocolate from a double boiler. Microwave for a minute and stir well. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir well. Repeat one or two more times as needed until all ingredients are just incorporated.

I bought walnut pieces and didn’t have to chop up walnuts on my own.