classics are classics for a reason

There are as many recipes for brownies as there are stars in the sky. That might be an exaggeration, or it might not.

Would you blacklist my blog if I told you I didn't really like brownies? I hope not. Maybe I'll come back around to them one day, but for now, they remain in the "fine, but not for me" section of my mental food filing system. My husband, however, is a fan, and he suggested that I make some. While these weren't exactly what he had in mind (we decided he was after the kind similar to that which comes from a mix and that he had as a kid), he thought they were certainly good enough to eat.

I know this recipe has a lot of history and has been made oodles of times. Every baker worth her salt has probably tweaked it in some way in the past. Since I always strive to be worth my salt, I made a few adjustments--I doubled the flour, omitted the nuts, increased the vanilla, and used dark cocoa powder. The resulting bars were very moist and dense and rich, and I think I could've gotten away with adding even more flour.

If you enjoy the kind of brownies that stick to the back of your teeth and aren't too sweet, this is your recipe. If, like my husband, you prefer the kind that's made from scratch but has the taste and texture of those made from a mix, well, stay tuned. I'm on the case.

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies, Made My Way, To My Husband's Tastes
Adapted from this recipe
(printable recipe)

Makes 9
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.
Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt.
Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey.
Let cool, then cut into bars.