eclaire (what’s in a) name?

ok, disclaimer: i don’t really have an old favorite brownie recipe, so the title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. but this recipe, this amazing recipe, yielded the most delicious, fudgy, and scrumptious brownies that i’ve ever baked.

although this is the second brownie recipe i’ve posted in the past few months (the other was a low-glycemic index black bean brownie), brownies are not my favorite dessert, or even my favorite bar cookie. and honestly, i’ve really only baked brownies a few times from scratch, and disliked the cake-y results. i don’t know about you, but i want dense, fudge-like, stuffed-to-the-brim-with-chocolate brownies. and these ones, for the first time ever, fit the bill completely, and won a special place in my heart for brownies again!

i read about these brownies on one of my favorite food blogs, smitten kitchen, way back in january, and i was so won over by the description that i immediately bookmarked the recipe. so when one of my dearest friends mentioned she would like brownies for her birthday, i jumped at the opportunity to try this recipe out. my friends, do not wait as long as i did to try this recipe. find any excuse – be it a weekend bbq, a dinner party, or even just a free hour that you want to spend in the kitchen, and make these absolutely divine brownies asap!

one year ago: mole sauce

favorite brownies

yields 16-25 (depending upon how you slice)
borrowed from smittenkitchen.com

• 10T unsalted butter
• 1 ¼c sugar
• 3/4c and 2T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4t salt
• 1/2t vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2c all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup walnut pieces, optional
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1. preheat the oven to 325°F
2. line the bottom and sides of an 8×8″ baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang
3. heat water in a pan until boiling, and then either use a double boiler or place a heat-proof bowl over the pan
4. in the double boiler or bowl, place the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt, stirring to combine
5. when everything’s melted and combined, remove the bowl or double boiler from the heat
6. stir in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time
7. next add the flour, stirring until shiny
8. add the nuts if using (these are totally optional – i made one pan with them and one pan without, and loved both options equally)
9. spread the batter into a lined pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted off center comes out with just a little bit of batter
10. let cool completely in the pan, then lift up the brownies using the edges of the foil and cut into pieces