My philosophy is to have a couple basic recipes that you know REALLY well and that you can whip up from scratch from things in your pantry. That means you are always ready to go if you have unexpected company drop by, you got home from school/work/practice late, or you forgot to go to the store. This strategy works well during the rest of the year, but during the holidays?
It’s a lifesaver.
Whether it’s your kids proclaiming that they have a holiday party in school that day, your in-laws are dropping by after a day of gift shopping, or you just want a sweet treat after a long day of house cleaning, food shopping, and holiday party prep, these memory recipes are an easy way to pull something together without all the effort and drama of finding recipes, making sure you have the ingredients, etc., etc., etc.
The first recipe I ever memorized is the one for Double Chocolate Brownies. It’s a one bowl recipe that makes perfect brownies EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
(cue happy music)
What I love about this recipe is that it uses pantry staples, minimal equipment, and they can be on the table in 45 minutes. If that isn’t a recipe for success (and good eats), I don’t know what is.
A couple weeks ago, I wanted to put a spin on this perfect brownie recipe (gasp!). I substituted dark chocolate chips for the semi-sweet ones, which gave the brownies a delightful rich flavor and a more “holiday” appeal (am I the only one who associates dark chocolate with the holidays?). And they were still as fudgy and delicious as the originals!
This is how you make them.
Preheat your oven to 350°.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to combine and set aside.
Now it’s time to start the base for the brownies.
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and water.
Heat the mixture over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Quickly add in one cup of dark chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Don’t worry if the mixture looks grainy – it will sort itself out in a minute!
In a separate bowl, beat together two eggs with some vanilla extract.
Slowly add the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly until combined. As you mix in the eggs, the chocolate will start to look smooth and silky again.
(see, no worries!)
Carefully add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Finally, stir in another cup of chocolate chips. Pour the batter into a 9”x9” baking pan that is generously sprayed with baking spray.
And then pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Pull the brownies out of the oven and let them cool completely before cutting.
Then dig in!
I always eat my dark chocolate brownies with a glass of milk – it helps cut through the richness… plus, who doesn’t love brownies and milk!
So, kiddos, what recipes are in your memory bank? Let me know!
Your brownie obsessed friend,
C
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9”X9” baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter, sugar, and water together until sugar is dissolved and the mixture just begins to bubble. The butter might not be completely melted, but that’s ok! Remove saucepan from heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until chocolate is melted.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs with vanilla. Slowly add the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the flour mixture into the chocolate-egg mixture. Stir gently until completely combined.
- Stir in remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into baking pan.
- Bake 30-35 minutes – the middle will still be gooey!
- Cool the brownies completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!
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