Brownies

It was the first thing I've ever baked, and I've grown to find that I love a fudgy type of brownie. The cakey, or chewy ones are okay I guess, but it's the moist fudgy ones that I find myself going back to.
Mmm, yes...the intense chocolatey interior... that kinda melts in your mouth when you take a bite out of it...

Moving on,

The best thing about brownies? They're so simple to make, and easily customised.
You can fold in nuts, raisins, bananas, chocolate chips, apples, strawberries or blueberries, swirl in some caramel, cream cheese or mascarpone, spike them with coffee or booze, or just have them straight up with chocolate.

Whatever it is, they don't take more then 5 mins to make, if you have everything in the cupboard already, and they take about 20 mins to bake.

Here's a recipe that I enjoy.

Fudgy Brownies
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 oz. (2/3 cup) all-purpose flour

Note: Combining 2 kinds of chocolate gives it a more intense sophisticated flavour. You can mix up the proportions in any amounts. As long as you have 7 oz. of chocolate, it's all well for the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.
Butter an 8-inch square pan and line it with buttered parchment paper.
Melt the butter and Chocolate over a double boiler, and then set it aside to cool slightly. You can cool it down in a ice bath if you're in a hurry to dig into the brownies. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla extract and salt. The mixture will turn grainy. Don't worry about it, it's fine. Whisk in the egg and egg yolks one at a time, making sure it's well blended each time. Finally, fold in the flour.
I had bananas hanging from a shelf and I thought I'd fold 2 in. I mean come on, bananas and chocolate. How can anyone resist?
Slice the bananas vertically first, then horizontally. Then, slice them lengthwise to get quarters.
Fold them into the brownie mixture.
Scrape the gloop into your prepared pan, jiggle it about so that the mix fills the corners, pop it in to the oven, and wait patiently.
I love how the smell of baked brownies diffuse into the air. I know they're almost ready when I can smell them from my room. Take a toothpick, and test for doneness. If it's wet, they aren't ready. If moist crumbs come out, you're good to go.
Let it cool slightly in the pan, and then turn them out into a wire rack.

Grab a fork, and dig in. Or if you have some ice cream(I made some dark chocolate ice cream for SHF#13 the week before, but I didn't have time to finish it. Oh well.), scoop yourself a generous amount, pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!

Brownie à la mode