Another brownie recipe

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?  Now, I'm not a big fan of overly commercialized Hallmark holidays but I *heart* Valentine's Day.  It's probably because my birthday is the day before and I have happy memories of heart shaped cakes as a child and cheesy dollar store decorations as a college student, but to me, it's fun.  Really, we shouldn't need an excuse to tell people we love them (or eat chocolate) but we have one every 14th of February.

So, the next few posts are a departure from the healthful fare I've been making at home and on to something more decadent.  You know I have been searching for the perfect brownie recipe and I think this comes really, really close.  They are fudgy and chewy and just plain ol' yummy.  Added bonus:  you probably have all these ingredients at home and they are quick & easy to make.  I used semisweet chocolate chips and used a 9x13 pan for a double recipe.

Make some plans to show somebody you love them!

David Lebovitz's Brownies (9-12 brownies)

6 tablespoons butter
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
3 tablespoons corn starch
optional: 1 cup nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Butter an 8x8 pan (or line the inside of an 8-inch square pan with foil so that it goes up the sides to the rim then lightly grease the foil with butter or non-stick cooking spray). Preheat the oven to 350º.

2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over very low heat on the stove top, stirring constantly until smooth.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time.

4. Sift together the cocoa powder and corn starch in a small bowl then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Beat the batter vigorously for at least one minute, until the batter is no longer grainy and nearly smooth. It will pull away from the sides of the pan a bit.

5. Add the nuts, if using, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Bake for thirty minutes, or until the brownies feel just set in the center. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.

Troubleshooting: If the finished brownies are crumbly, that means you didn’t beat the batter long enough in step #4.