best brownie recipe

A dessert couldn't get more simple than brownies, though in recent years I found myself craving that brownie taste I remembered from my childhood that I just wasn't getting from the chocolate squares lately. I brought this up to my mom who then informed me that it was because she used to make them from scratch when I was little and after having my brother and going back to work full time, she found it easier to just pick up the boxed kind from the market since there's a whole three ingredients that go into it. She also wasn't sure what recipe she used to use.

Upon discovering this, I decided to go on a mission for a recipe that had the taste I remembered from when I was little. I tried out a few but it didn't take too long before I found one that had the ingredients I wanted. I'm not really sure where it came from because it was just written on a scrap of paper and tucked in a cookbook but it is without a doubt the best I've had in a long time. If you've been using the box or are just craving something chocolatey in general, give these a try!




Start by combining your wet ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pretend not to notice how much butter you just put in. Once you taste them, you'll be okay with it anyway.




Give it a good mix! Does anyone else love the Clabber Girl baking powder container? It looks like a vintage package that should be displayed on a shelf, not shoved in the cabinet next to the vanilla extract.




In a separate bowl, combine all your dry ingredients and mix them up a little.




Pour the dry mixture in the wet mixture about a third at a time and mix well.




Add another third and keep mixing!




Dump in the rest and mix mix mix!




Eventually it should look like this.




Spread it evenly into a greased pan. When no one's looking, steal a taste from the spatula ;). Pop that bad boy in the oven.




Let it cool before trying to cut it up.




Serve with a big cold glass of milk. Simple! But soo good.





Brownies

1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter
2 tbsp water
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 baking cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 13x9 inch baking pan.
Combine sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Add water, eggs, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture about a third at a time. Mix well.
In a greased baking pan, spread batter evenly.
Bake for 18-25 minutes. Insert toothpick to check if done. It should come out slightly sticky. (I usually go right in the middle with 21 minutes and they come out perfect, but your oven may vary.)
Allow to cool.



Maybe a lot of people are using a recipe similar to this but it was the closest one I found to the one I remember. They are chewy with a thin crispy crust and I think the vanilla really ads something to the whole thing. I just wanted to share this in case anyone else was on a similar mission :).