I haven't made brownies in a really long time. I think I was somehow traumatized (if one can be traumatized by making brownies) because I used to make the most excellent brownies when I was a teenager, and somehow I lost the recipe and I couldn't seem to make the same kind of brownies anymore. I remember trying several recipes, several weeks in a row, but none of them were good enough.
However, I was browsing the internet a couple of days ago and found a recipe on the Martha Stewart website and thought "hey why not?" so I made these brownies and they turned out really good!
No stress, no pressure.... I guess that's how cooking should be :)
Fudgy Brownies
225 grams dark chocolate, cut in small pieces
110 grams butter (Elle & Vire unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
handful of hazelnuts (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Place the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and place over a pan of boiling water. Be careful that the bowl is not touching the water.Stir frequently until the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove bowl from heat and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Once cooled, stir the sugar in until well combined. With a whisk, add the 4 eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth (no need for mixer here). Add the vanilla essence, then gently fold (with a spatula) the flour and salt. Add the hazelnuts here if you want.
Take a square baking pan, smear a little bit of oil then cover with parchment paper.
Pour the brownie mixture in the baking pan and bake for around 60-65 minutes. The top part will be hard and crunchy but make sure that the inside is well cooked. Bake until a cake tester (toothpick or knife) comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Enjoy!
