Brownies
I am a firm believer that a great brownie recipe does not require icing on top. If you need a sugary coating, the brownie was not decadent enough to start with. Feel free to play with the amount of sugar in this recipe. I have cut it back to 1 cup and found it delicious. If you are using bittersweet chocolate instead of unsweetened you will want to cut back on the amount of sugar.
My Favourite Brownies
Smitten Kitchen
3 ounces (85 grams) unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
1 1/3 cups (265 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt (about 2 grams)
2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Butter the parchment or foil or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together until only a couple unmelted bits remain. Off the heat, stir until smooth and fully melted. (Note: You can also do this in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.)
Whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour with a spoon or flexible spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free.
Let cool and cut into desired size. If desired, dust the brownies with powdered sugar before serving.
Makes 1 8×8 pan of brownies which you can cut into 16 2-inch squares (shown above), 25 smaller squares, or 32 2×1-inch bites.