Basic Brownies

Sometimes there is nothing better than a brownie! My brother's girlfriend made these brownies for a family gathering a couple of years ago and I thought they were the best ones I had tasted in a long time. I made them the other day and was very happy to hear someone say, "this is how a brownie should taste." Can't get a better compliment than that!

Unfortunately, I do not know where this recipe originated, so I cannot give proper credit:

Basic Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into 16 pieces

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan (I use Pam for Baking and despite my intial wariness, it works wonderfully!).

2. In a saucepan over very low heat, melt butter or margarine and chocolate, stirring the mixture constantly.  Remove from heat, and stir the sugar into the chocolate.  Allow the mixture to cool slightly.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Stir in the vanilla.  

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture.  Fold in the walnuts, if using.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

4. Bake in oven 30 to 35 minutes

*Note: a 9x13 inch pan is recommended, and this is what I used. However, I do think one could use an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square pan to get a slightly denser brownie. If you try this the baking time may change, so check the brownies to make sure they are not overdone/underdone.