Chocolate Brownies

Brownies -A treat of all times and ages

In my style to my taste…. with the taste from my Mamma

For many years, I couldn’t seem to find the exact childhood tasting recipe for brownies that met my standards. Now what I mean by standards here is that taste that I had developed many moons ago by eating the brownies my Mamma made which I was a kid some 53 years ago. Anytime I tried making homemade brownies, I wanted them to be just like the ones I ate as a kid – super fudgy, moist, and chocolaty, with crispy edges and crackly tops. But the thing is, these brownies didn’t come from a recipe, you know what I mean, either they are the ready-made pack with ingredients -just mix and bake or I would quietly copy the details from behind the packet in the supermarket rack.

So, I looked around at other recipes and ways, did my own modifications, substituting this for that and finally I did come up with something that I now believe tastes and smells just like the one ages ago.

Homemade Brownie Recipe Ingredients

Back to Mamma’s recipe for brownies! In order for it to turn out like (I will not say better than) my Mamma’s ones; my Mamma I believe used granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Then, she adds these key ingredients:

• 2 eggs + water – She used a bit of water with the eggs to achieve the moist, gooey texture of boxed mix brownies without any commercial emulsifiers. And because this recipe doesn’t contain any baking powder, eggs are essential for helping the brownies puff up in the oven.

• Powdered sugar – The trick to making homemade brownies that are just like ones from a box! Powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which helps thicken the batter without the chemical additives you’d find in a mix.

• Unsweetened cocoa powder – I’d recommend that you go with Pam’s Special Dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Make sure to sift it if it’s lumpy!

• Oil – While many recipes for brownies use unsalted butter, my Mamma used simple vegetable oil ( I suggest canola oil, because it’s easily available. I have used olive oil on some occasions because it’s what I keep on hand, and I love the rich flavor. But I know many people do not like using olive oils as they find the flavour too strong.

• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla really amps up the chocolate flavor. Also, you may add two shots of espresso to ramp up the chocolate aroma.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar*

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

• 3/4 teaspoons sea salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil**

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Getting to-gather Ingredients and Baking

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray an 8x8baking dish (not a 9x9 dish or your brownies will overcook) with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper.

• In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and salt.

• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, water, and vanilla.

• Sprinkle the dry mix over the wet mix and stir until just combined.

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan (it'll be thick - that's ok) and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached (note: it's better to pull the brownies out early than to leave them in too long). Cool completely before slicing.*** Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These also freeze well!

Warning: May cause uncontrollable smiles, suspiciously empty pans, and lifelong devotion to the dark side.