Brownies - Baking & Devouring

Brownies are the perfect casual dessert.  A rich brownie with a cup of coffee or a glass of ice cold milk is so yummy.  Tonight, I just wanted to make a quick dessert, so I used my go-to mix - Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix.  They are so chocolatey and moist.

When I really want a "wow" brownie, I use a simple, completely from scratch recipe, that I got from an old Hershey's cookbook. I think that the ingredients you choose when baking make all the difference in the outcome.  Always use real butter when you bake.  The flavor that you get is so much better than using margarine.  I always try to use cocoa and vanilla from Penzey's Spices (see the link to their website).  Using the best ingredients you can afford will make the goodies you're baking for your family and friends even more of a special treat

Besides picking the best mix or recipe, another tip for baking brownies is to line your pan with nonstick foil.  After they are baked, you can simply lift out the brownies with the foil, slice, and enjoy.  Then you can throw away the foil and put the still clean pan back in the cabinet.  Perfect!

Best Homemade Brownies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

3/4 cocoa (sift if lumpy)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350 F.  Line a 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick foil (allow edges to hang over at least 1 inch).  Melt butter on stove top or in microwave.  With a large whisk, combine sugar, cocoa and butter.  Add vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat well.  Stir in nuts and/or chocolate chips, if desired.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides.  Cool in pan on wire rack for as long as you can stand to not eat them.  Remove foil and brownies from the pan.  Cut into bars and enjoy.