Thursday, October 22, 2009

Maria's Lovey's Food and Wine's Brownies OR the Simplest Brownies Imaginable



Our family friends Maria and Paul are pretty cool people. They moved into a house down the street a few years ago and I watch their house when they're traveling. Maria used to work for a catering company and she has an incredible cookbook collection. She's also an awesome cook, and on Labor Day she and Paul had a party. For dessert they had watermelon and brownies and ice cream. I've never been a hardcore brownie eater, but these brownies.... I melted with delight, they're scrumptious. These brownies are, as my dad would say, all that and a bag of chips. Seriously. 
Maria promised me that the recipe was the simplest thing imaginable and  gave it to me. She also left me with the very important instruction BEAT WITH A WOODEN SPOON, she said she wasn't sure why but those were the directions in the recipe and she's always followed them. I'll tell you why to beat with a wooden spoon. It increases DELICIOUSNESS. 

Maria's Lovey's Brownies from Food and Wine March 1990

8 oz. unsalted butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease (or line with foil and spray) a 13x9x2 pan.

Melt butter and chopped chocolate in microwave (about 1 1/2 minutes), stir to finish melting chocolate
Add sugar and stir with WOODEN SPOON* until mixed.
Beat in eggs one at a time until mixture is shiny and each egg is incorporated
Add vanilla, flour and salt. Add nuts. 

Bake for 30 minutes and cool completely in pan before cutting. The brownies will be moist and soft in the inside and crusty on top. 

* (Maria's note) Use only a wooden spoon to mix ingredients- don't know why but those were the directions and I have always done it. 

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