One-Bowl Brownies

"What are you making?"

"Nothing..."

"Brownies! I see the pan, and nothing goes in there but brownies."

The husband is very observant when it comes to treats in the kitchen.  :-)

 You'll note that I don't yet have a brownie recipe in the blog, and for good reason.  Not because I don't like brownies, oh no, quite the contrary.  But, why bother making them from scratch when Ghiradelli makes a perfectly tasty brownie mix?  If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

There was one attempt with a Cook's Illustrated recipe that promised brownies just like the Ghiradelli ones, but we were sorely disappointed.  I'm not sure why they didn't work out, but perhaps it was a user error fluke.

But I trust Smitten Kitchen, and she has plenty of options.  This one piqued my interest because of its simplicity.  It doesn't sound very glamorous, but I wasn't looking for super-extra-eighteen-chocolate-outrageous brownies.  I wanted comfort brownies, and these seemed to fit the bill.

I had all the ingredients, so fate was with me.  You'll notice the lack of prep photos, but that's because they were so fast and easy!  And they baked in 2/3 the time of normal brownie recipes.  This was getting better and better.

And the texture was perfect - fudgy with a shiny, crispy top.  I added some chocolate chips because I like the extra gooey-ness, and they were great.

Fast. Easy. Tasty.  What more could you want?

One-Bowl Brownies
(from Smitten Kitchen)
 Makes 1 8×8 pan of brownies

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
1/4 teaspoon table salt (about 2 grams)
2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

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. 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, and then chocolate chips 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.

Enjoy!