Basic Brownies

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Are brownies a cookie or a cake? Or are they in a category of their very own? I like to think the latter is true; brownies belong in a category all by themselves. I absolutely adore a delicious, fudgy brownie. When you’re craving something rich and chocolatey, there’s nothing better.

I’ve been using this brownie recipe ever since I can remember. The first few times I made it, I used baking chocolate, but one day, when I was craving them, I discovered I had no baking chocolate on hand, so I figured out how to use the combo of cocoa powder and butter instead. I’ll never go back to baking chocolate again...at least not when baking these brownies. Ready to bake them?

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 ¼ Cup Butter

¾ Cup Dutch Cocoa Powder 

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

4 Eggs

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

½ Teaspoon Salt

2 Cups of Walnuts (or any other optional add-ins you might like

Here’s how to make them:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prep a 9 x 13” baking pan, by greasing it with butter or spraying it with some non-stick spray. 

Step 2: Slowly melt the butter and cocoa together in a saucepan on low heat, making sure you stir the mixture constantly so it gets nice and smooth.

Step 3: Once your butter and cocoa are smooth and combined, take them off the heat and stir in the sugar. It will stop looking as smooth, but that’s ok. Let it cool a bit before adding the eggs.

Step 4: When your buttery, chocolatey, sugary mixture has cooled off enough to not cook the eggs, add the eggs one at a time, fully stirring them in until you add the next one.

Step 5: Next, add the flour, salt, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Step 6: If you’re adding nuts or other yummy ingredients, stir them in now. If you’re not and just want a delicious fudgy brownie, pour your batter into the baking pan. 

Step 7: Bake your brownies for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 8: Try to let your brownies cool a little bit before you cut them. It is totally understandable if step 8 is too hard and you can’t resist cutting them right away. 

Optional: You can make some yummy cream cheese, chocolate, or peanut butter buttercream for the top, but I promise, these brownies are yummy just on their own. Enjoy!