Fudgy Brownies [Recipe]

I've tried several from-scratch brownie recipes, but this one seems to be the easiest, with a simple list of ingredients and excellent raves from the chocoholics I know! I usually keep a bag of chocolate chips on hand for a quick treat.

My late-husband (R.I.P.) loved these. He was diagnosed with diabetes, although his pancreas might have been working fine, had a tumor not started growing there; we'll never know. But, he could eat these, in moderation, if I used 100% Whole Wheat flour and a sugar substitute, instead. Using 100% Whole Wheat flour is considered healthier, generally, than bleached white flour (which has all the healthy stuff sucked out of it, bleached to make it white, and then some "enrichment" put back into it later).

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 bag chocolate chips (8–10 ounce size, 226–283 grams)
3/4 cups sugar (or substitute)
2 large eggs (or substitute)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
generous pinch of salt
vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon (more/less, according to taste)

I use raw cane sugar in all my baking. I believe it to be healthier than refined white sugar. But you can use whatever you wish as a sweetener; most anything will work fine: white sugar, cane sugar, Splenda™, Stevia™, agave nectar, etc.

When it comes to the "chocolate chips" mentioned in the recipe, there is quite a bit of wiggle room. The amount of chips you use is entirely up to you — a little more, or less, won't hurt the recipe unless you go extremely overboard with the proportion. If you're "old school" in the kitchen, using Baker's Chocolate is fine, too, and you can chop it until you have a comparable amount; perhaps consider adding a little more sugar if your Baker's Chocolate is unsweetened.

Also, you can use Milk Chocolate chips or Dark Chocolate, whichever you prefer. OR... I have experimented with other choices and found that Heath™ Toffee chips are heavenly in these brownies instead of chocolate chips! 😋

As heavenly as the Heath™ Toffee chips are, though, I think my favorite substitution for chocolate chips are Peanut Butter chips! OMG, Peanut Butter Brownies made with the Reese's™ chips are awesome! Depending on your market, you might find other varieties of "chips" available besides chocolate, toffee, and peanut butter... don't hesitate to experiment if you like trying new ideas!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease 8" x 8" (20 x 20 cm) baking pan. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat, then whisk or stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir in flour and a generous pinch of salt. Be sure the mixture is thoroughly blended together and smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 24–27 minutes, or until brownies test moist. Lightly dust with powdered sugar while warm, if desired. Top with crushed nuts, if that's your thing. Cool on wire rack before cutting and serving. I usually cut my 8" x 8" pan into 9 pieces like a Tic-Tac-Toe game board.

These brownies are perfectly good as they are. But, you can serve them so many ways — with decadent chocolate sauce drizzled on top, or with ice cream, pudding, yoghurt, fruit, whipped cream, or whatever your tongue fancies. You can also spread a layer of cake icing or cream cheese on them. Be creative!

^{Chocolate Brownie}

^{Peanut Butter Brownie}

Now I will share an amusing anecdote, which will add one more layer of variation to the recipe. I normally cook with plain ("all purpose") flour, but a few years ago I also had a bag of "self-rising" flour on hand and accidentally grabbed it when making the brownies. The baking powder in the self-rising flour made the brownies rise to the height of a sheet-cake, and they definitely had a fluffy, cake-like consistency because of it. So, I dubbed the creation "Brownie Cake" and it was quite good, too. So, there's another tweak that can be made to the recipe if you wanna try it sometime! 😁

The crowing glory of this recipe is that it's best shared with friends!

^{~ super-fun Shōjo‑style Brownie Party scene by Copilot™ AI ~}