Sometimes (often) there are new things that I'm super excited about trying or making or learning... and sometimes I just feel tired of winter and want something that's guaranteed, simple, and delicious. I have a handful of recipes that meet this criteria, some of which I've shared before on the old blog and I'll revisit with updates in this new space. These have been my go-to brownies for a several years, and are definitely worth sharing.
I can throw these together as I'm making a meal when last-minute company is coming over, as I did one day last week. They can easily be made gluten-free, and they require nothing that I don't usually have on hand. In fact, they're just about perfect. In the picture above, they're frosted although they don't really look it - the frosting does this neat thing where it kind of blends in to the brownies when they're warm and then forms this thin and perfect slightly crackled crust on top. The original recipe is here. I recommend making this 8 inch pan batch if you're like me and will eat them all if left alone with them. The recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9x13, but watch for the edges getting overdone. You could lower the heat slightly to bake them a bit more slowly.
Perfect Brownies
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup flour (one gluten-free alternative I've tried that works is a mix of almond flour and rice flour; I've also done blends of almond and millet, or a GF mix would work, too)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (a bit more if your butter is unsalted)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For the frosting:
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup icing sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan. In a large pot, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir in 1/3 cup cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
While they're baking, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make your frosting. I find a fork works best; the frosting will be pretty thick. I daub it all over the brownies while they're still warm, and then use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread it around and connect the daubs.
Enjoy!
*Edited to add: I'm so sorry - I somehow left out typing in the cocoa powder in the batter part! Oh, I hope no one had any failures due to my oversight. Sorry about that!