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Adaptable Brownies

Ingredients

  • 1/3 c butter use salted or if using unsalted, add 1/8 tsp salt
  • 4 oz semi or bitter sweet chocolate >60% cacao content
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 1/2 c flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • or 1 tbsp orange zest

Additions

  • 2/3 c slivered toasted almonds
  • 2/3 c chopped pecans
  • 1/2 c chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c dried cherries
  • - Or any combination there of.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour an 8"x8" pan.
  • Melt butter and chocolate in a thick bottomed pan over low heat. Stir constantly. When combined, remove from heat.
  • Beat eggs and sugar together until pale yellow and falls in ribbons from the whisk. This can be done with an electric mixer, but it really doesn't take much to do it by hand.
  • Add 1/4 of the warm chocolate mixture to the egg mix. This will help equalize the temperature of the mixtures so that the eggs don't get cooked by adding the chocolate all at once. Once blended in, scrape the rest of the chocolate into the egg mix and stir to combine.
  • Mix in the vanilla or orange zest.
  • Add the flour (and salt if using unsalted butter). Stir until blended. Mix in any desired additions.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer/toothpick inserted comes out with a just a bit of residue. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes (if you really want a brownie it can be tough to wait). Cut into 9 or 16 squares.

Notes

Adapted from I can't remember where