Chocolate has always been my comfort food, so I guess it’s not surprising that when things aren’t going well I head for the chocolate chips. Long ago I learned to stock up on the two-pound bags, not the dinky 12-ounce bags most stores sell.
Sometimes a handful of chocolate chips works. But with the stresses of putting a home-cooked holiday dinner on the table, I branched out and made Intensely Chocolate Cocoa Brownies from my cookbook Chocolate on the Brain. This is a perfect, easy-to-make dessert. You can cut the pieces small enough so that everyone can have thirds, and you’ll still be left with some to snack on later!
Intensely Chocolate Cocoa Brownies – makes 25 1½-inch
squares
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + more for greasing
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, making sure 2 ends of the foil overhang the pan by about 2 inches, so you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan later. Lightly rub the bottom and sides of the foil with butter and set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium pot over low heat. When it has melted, turn off the heat and stir in the cocoa. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until combined. If you are adding walnuts, stir them in now.
Pour the batter into the foil-lined pan and bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until the top feels firm. These brownies taste better underbaked than overbaked. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the ends of the foil and remove the brownies from the pan. Cut into 25 squares and serve. Store in an airtight container or wrapped in foil or plastic wrap.
For more
chocolate recipes get “Chocolate on
the Brain”
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