Brownie Redux

Human Highlighter Suit Tally: 9

My sister Jody was really bothered when she found out, through the blog, that I had been making brownies from a mix for years.  So, even though she has a newborn, she spent precious hands-free time tracking down a recipe for me from a colleague.

Last weekend a local architect who I had met with once invited us to lunch.  I offered to bring dessert.  I made a pear and ginger crisp but thought the kids might not like it, so I made the brownies for them.   The crisp was fine but not knock-your-socks-off; I’ve come to the conclusion that crisps are best with berries, stone fruits, and apples.

The brownies?  Tremendous.  I did not put in the optional cayenne pepper because the kids would have rejected them for sure.

Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Jeana, in case you, too are stuck in a brownie rut.

Preheat the oven to 350.
Melt 1 stick of unsalted butter on super-low in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat.
Add 1 cup granulated sugar. Stir.
Add 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Stir.
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened Hershey's cocoa (err on the side of the 1/2 cup being a little over-full rather than
under-full). Stir.
Add 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt (err on the side of the teaspoon being a little under-full rather
than over-full), and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Stir.
Optional: add in a bit of cayenne pepper.
Lightly grease an 8" x 8" pan with butter, and pour the batter in.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (22 minutes is usually perfect), until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool uncovered, so a slight crust forms on top.
Enjoy!