*ahem*
And I quote, "Next project will still be baked, but be more in line with main course than dessert."
Well, I lied. In my defense, I was hungry.
I had just mowed the lawn. It was a really bad time. My neighbor and I share lawnmowing duties--I rent the upper half of a house, she rents the bottom--and it was technically her turn, but she had a work conflict, then I had a work conflict, then it rained for like two days, all the while the grass kept growing taller. It got a little scary there... if I hadn't mowed the lawn exactly when I had, we would have needed to rent a tractor or something. As it was the lawnmower died like 5 times and I had to continuously clean out the discharge port to keep it running smoothly.... anyway, after all that work I was HANGRY!
This is Harmony. Harmony is my 8x8 brownie pan. Harmony bakes brownies. Or cookie bars. Or anything else tasty and sweet, but never any vegetables or meat; I have other pans for that. Whenever possible, I recommend you dedicate your bakeware. It's not going to kill a recipe to bake a cake in the same pan you baked last week's macaroni and cheese, but the finish on the pan will wear out faster and you won't have to grease your pans as much (at least your dessert pans) if all they're baking is dessert. Speaking of recipes...
Classic Fudge Brownies (taken from themodernproper.com/classic-brownies)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt. Or a pinch of kosher salt, if you prefer.
Cooking spray for greasing the pan, or parchment paper if that's the way you roll.
What can I say? I wanted chocolate. Chocolate NOW! When you want Chocolate Now, these aren't half bad. Fudgy. Thick. These are also a one-bowl recipe, no mixer required. Easy cleanup, especially if you're like me and lick the spoon...
Anyway, first you mix the oils and the sugars. Then you beat in the eggs and vanilla. Then stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. That's it! No baking soda or powder required for these boys; the eggs do all the work. Batter will be thick! Spread in pan and bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, or 325 F if your oven is like mine and runs hot for some reason I'm too lazy to figure out.
All done! That was about 20 minutes, and you can see they're a touch toasty around the edges. (Even if the original blog post they're toasty around the edges.) If you enjoy a good "edge piece," this could be your brownie recipe! There's stability to these brownies! It's my experience these always taste a bit more chocolatey the following day, making them great for picnics and lunches. Or pairing with your morning coffee, assuming there's anything left.
So, this is one of my favorite kitchen toys. I found this... oh boy... 12 years ago, at the Salvation Army Store? For 49 cents? Somehow it's lasted me that long. Even though I received a newer one for Christmas two years ago, I still prefer this classic little stainless steel spatula. It's perfect for lifting cookies off the sheet, but also cuts brownies and bars and serves them at the same time!
BROWNIE SLICING ACTION SHOT okay wow please shield your eyes, the reflections/highlights on that photo are way out of proportion, my apologies.
Brownies!
Or with powdered sugar, if you prefer!
I have never tried these with chocolate chips baked into the batter, but to be honest? Based on their flavor and consistency as they are, I think chocolate chips would be a bit too much of a good thing. 3/4 cup of cocoa is already a lot. There are similar one-bowl recipes out there that use melted butter and chocolate chips instead of oil and cocoa powder. Those are good too, but I baked these based on ingredients I had on hand.
Speaking of which, I am running low on ingredients! Need to hit the store sometime soon. Hopefully I'll get to bake the thing this weekend I had planned to bake before, but could not. Because I was mowing the lawn. Stupid lawn.
See you again soon!
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. Deep dish Apple pie:
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