Hands down, the best brownies!
Last night I was in the mood for brownies. Over the years I’ve tried box mixes or from scratch, never finding brownie nirvana. I have finally settled on this recipe that uses cornstarch, butter and oil. I like my brownies hot out of the oven, ooey gooey, but these are great once they’re cooled as well.
Go nuts
I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a sucker for these fudgy brownies, I’ve never had a love for cake like brownies, always seemed a bit dry for my taste. This recipe is super fudgy and rich due to the combination of cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In addition to the chocolate chips I add walnuts. Now that our children are out of the house I put nuts in brownies, cookies, banana bread, you name it! Our kids were not fans of nuts, I guess that is one upside of being empty nesters.
Easy fudgy brownies
Although I’m not one to shy away from more complex recipes, it’s always nice to have quick and easy ones at your fingertips. This recipe is simple, the instructions take you through step by step. I’ve adapted my method (shall we say lazy method). After melting the butter on top of the sugar I just dump all the wet ingredients in along with the cocoa powder. Mix that up good, add the dry ingredients, chocolate chips and walnuts.
Bakeware
Let’s talk bakeware, a good quality pan when baking is important, the investment is worth it. In my early years of baking I used what I could afford, which usually was off the shelf at the local Walmart. A few years back I was fortunate to stop into The Baker’s Pin in Northampton, Massachusetts. They have some of the most lovely kitchen supplies, the staff is super friendly and helpful. Plus, you can grab a bite to eat at the many great downtown restaurants while you’re there!
My pan addiction
I fell in love with USA pans while shopping at The Baker’s Pin, along with all the other wonderful kitchen supplies (I’d need a bigger house to fit it all). You can find the 8×8 square pan I bought from them on Amazon, for a little less money. This pan was my first USA baking pan, I call it my gateway pan. I went on to purchase a pair of bread pans and more. My wish list grows daily.
Worth mentioning
These pans are not solid, the corners are folded, and this creates an opportunity for liquid to pool. I only find an issue when I wash them, after I dry them I make sure I set them on the counter right side up. Often times a small amount of water will drip out of the corners, I just dry it and put them away. That 30 seconds of my time is totally worth it for me.
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Easy Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup walnuts, or any nut of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F
- Line 8×8 metal pan thoroughly, you can use cooking spray but I don't
- Place butter and sugars in medium to large microwave safe bowl, heat until butter is melted, around 1 minute
- Whisk in the eggs, yolk, and vanilla until completely blended
- Stir in cocoa powder and oil
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and stir just until blended, don't overmix
- Add chocolate chips and nuts if using.
- Pour into pan, using rubber spatula spread evenly getting into every corner
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until set, a toothpick inserted will come out with moist crumbs, don't over bake. I take mine out around 28 minutes. Cool in pan.
