Chocolatey Chewy Brownies

Years ago, I used to wonder why anyone would make brownies from scratch when the box mixes were so good. During my days as a stay-at-home mom several years ago, I started making scratch brownies and discovered the joy of homemade brownies. I've probably tried every brownie recipe in my cookbook arsenal. Scratch brownies are so easy to make. Most of the ingredients are staples in my pantry so I could quickly whip up a batch when necessary which was about once a week. Now, don't get me wrong, I still have boxed mixes in my cupboard. They do come in handy. But, if you're looking for a good scratch fudgy brownie recipe, then try this one from Gooseberry Patch's Homestyle in a Hurry, copyright 2010.

Chocolatey Chewy Brownies

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 c. all-purpose flour
4 1-oz. sqs. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped walnuts

In a bowl, blend together butter and sugar. Add eggs, mixing well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased and floured 13"x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool; cut into squares. Makes 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

One cup of softened butter

Add two cups of sugar to the butter and mix together until blended.

Normally, I would beat the eggs in a separate bowl. But, since I was using a mixer, I just put all four of them in together.

And, beat until it was a creamy yellow batter.

One cup of all-purpose flour

Four squares of unsweetened chocolate

I melted these in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Added the melted chocolate and vanilla to the batter and stirred until well blended.

I actually followed the directions and used walnuts instead of pecans.

Spread into a lined and greased 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Whenever I cook brownies, I lower the heat to 325 as soon as I put the brownies in oven and cook for a few extra minutes. This helps to prevent hard, crunchy edges.

It was hard for my boys to wait until these were baked and cooled. There were a lot of visits to the kitchen to check on my progress. The brownies were well worth the wait. They are rich and dense with chocolate flavor and have a nice sugary and crunchy top. Wonderful! Hope you will try them and enjoy!