Fudgy, Chewy, Cakey Brownies!

Yesterday I just had the itch to make something. Anything. Wasn't really in the mood to go through the many steps of making cupcakes. Wanted to do something a little more quick and simple. I was browsing through the recipe index of one my absolute most favorite blogs, My Baking Addiction and I was drawn to the "Bar Cookies" header. There were many recipes that made my mouth water a little, but one in particular that caught my eye! Anytime a recipe or blog post has the words best, perfect, or amazing I am sucked right in. I clicked on the link for "Amazing Brownies" and after seeing the picture and reading the blog post I grabbed my computer and headed straight for the kitchen!

The recipe is actually from the cookbook "The Perfect Recipe: Getting it Right Every Time" by Pam Anderson. In the cookbook Pam wrote "There are three different brownie camps- those who like them chewy and gooey, those who prefer them dense and fudgy, and a third crowd who like them frosty and cakey. I gave myself the seemingly impossible task of trying to please everyone. I had marching orders: to develop an intense, rich, chocolately brownie, with just enough structure and definition."

These brownies started to win my love before I even tasted the first morsel. The intense chocolate smell they filled the house with was amazing. Then the hope was that the brownies were actually as chocolately tasting as the strong aroma! And in fact they were! They were rich and decadent with an amazing fudgy, chocolately flavor!


Not that they weren't perfect already, but I think there is some room for a little playing and adapting with this recipe! I think the next time I will try them with either chocolate chunks, nuts, and swirled caramel! All I know is, I will definitely be making these again real soon!!

Amazing Brownies

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
veg cooking spray
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside. Spray an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Fit a sheet of foil in pan and up two sides, so you can use it as a handle to pull cooked brownies from pan (I used parchment paper). Spray sheet with cooking spray.

Melt chocolates and butter in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next. Continue to whisk until mixture is completely smooth and glossy. Add dry ingredients, whisk until just incorporated. Stir in nuts, if using.

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out with wet crumbs, 35-45 minutes.

Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Use handles to pull brownies from pan. Completely cool brownies on rack, at least three hours. Cut into squares and serve. If not serving immediately, do not cut brownies. Whole brownie cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, and refrigerated for up to five days.

An amazingly sweet escape!!
-Jess