While brainstorming what I wanted to make this week, my thoughts zipped all over the place, considering recipes and items that I had never made before and would challenge me. Although this is the end goal of my free inquiry, I took a moment to reflect and realized that this is just the very beginning of my baking journey, so maybe, making something simple and within my comfort zone might be the best place to start. I decided it would be best to stick with something I had done before; this way I can build my confidence before I jump headfirst into complex recipes. The brownie recipe I used is one of my mothers that she has been making for years! It includes all of the normal ingredients such as flour, cocoa powder, and white and brown sugar, among other things. As true chocolate lovers, our recipe calls for the addition of chocolate chips into the brownie batter as well, to make them extra chocolatey and gooey! If you would prefer a less decadent and sweet brownie, the chocolate chips can be taken out, or replaced (see my tips and tricks section for a recommendation).

Recipe:

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

Makes: 18-24 bars (dependent on how they are cut)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2-1 cup chocolate chips (preference)

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven the 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9″x 13″ baking pan.
  • Pour melted butter into a large bowl, add both sugars and cocoa powder and beat until incorporated.
  • Beat in the eggs until combined, and then slowly add the flour and baking powder.
  • Stir in the vanilla and chocolate chips.
  • Pour batter into greased baking pan and put in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes, checking periodically within the last 10 minutes to ensure they will not come out dry.

Tips and tricks:

  • If using a stand or electric hand mixer, make sure to stir the chocolate chips in by hand. This ensures an even distribution.
  • To elevate the flavour, nuts can be added to the batter for additional flavour complexity. I would use something like chopped walnuts for this.
  • I topped the brownies with a simply chocolate frosting, if you would like a less sweet option, cream cheese frosting would pair nicely with the brownie bars!
  • The recipe can be halved! It works just fine with halving it to 1 egg despite the original calling for 3 eggs.