[Cookie 004] Double Chocolate Brownies

Brownies are a funny thing. I feel that everyone has their favorite recipe, which has been passed down in the family, and is generally undisputed and adored unconditionally. I didn't necessarily have that, but for my entire life my family used only 1 recipe (when we weren't making brownies from a mix...which we *ahem* usually didn't do anyway, though, so don't judge). Yes, when my dad would make his brownies they would always come out pretty wicked, especially when he used Droste or Scharfenberger cocoa. That's where it's at, of course.

Anyways, I digress. Because the point of this whole entry is that I did not use this same family recipe. I tried Martha's Double Chocolate Brownie ones of course! And, all though I will always be devoted to my dad's brownies (and pancakes, and my mom's apple pie), this recipe was pretty delicious. Really really delicious actually. You see, I tend to like most of my baked goods a little on the undercooked, soft, and chewy side, and these brownies were just that. They were super fudgy and not dry in the slightest.

The only problem was my impatient friends. Remember them? The ones that can't wait more than 2 minutes after I remove something from the oven to devour it whole? Yeah, those guys. Oh, friends. Here's the deal: you are supposed to let the brownies set for a few minutes, so you can cut them and make nicely square brownies. Yeah, I know, I shouldn't be a stickler for the rules, and I love a hot brownie as much as the next person, but I like nice presentation too. But in the end, it never matters; it all ends up the same place anyway, right?

Double Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
2. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
4. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

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{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 1/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 5/5
Attractiveness: 3/5 (how attractive can brownies be, actually?)
Is it worth it?: Looking for a new brownie recipe? This is it!