Summer

I never mentioned this before, but I LOVE to cook. I really enjoy the process. I hate it when it ends because I rarely eat what I have made, so I must watch others devour it. I’ve tried making many dishes, but mostly simple things like sandwiches, salads, cakes, and pastas. The other day, I was craving brownies, so after long research I found a good recipe. I altered it a bit, so here’s how to make Summer’s Perfect Brownies:

1½ cups sugar
¾ cup flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
3 eggs
¾ cup butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or melted chocolate)

You’ll notice the list of ingredients is very short. That means the quality of the chocolate makes a huge difference. The chocolate flavor is very important — not the sugar, not the richness, the chocolate. I used Nesquik cocoa powder and Aero chocolate (instead of chocolate chips). I would not recommend that if you’re looking for something chocolate-ly because my combination turned out very light (which can be a good thing). Use Hershey’s chocolate chips and Cadbury cocoa powder for a sweeter taste.

1. Combine the sugar, flour, salt (if using unsalted butter), and cocoa. Then add the eggs and the melted butter to the mix.
2. Mix it by hand, until the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet, and stop. You don’t need to beat it, and in fact try to avoid producing gluten from the flour. (Kneading flour produces gluten, the springy protein that makes bread chewy.)
3. Stir in the chocolate chips (or melted chocolate bars).
4. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment.
5. Pour the batter and spread it out. Use a rubber spatula to try to even it out.
6. Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the tallest part comes out clean. Keep in mind you’ve got chips in there. If you hit one with the toothpick it will have melted chocolate on it. You might need to poke a couple of spots to make sure you aren’t hitting a chip.
7. Very carefully lift the parchment out of the baking dish. Get a spare set of hands if you can.
8. Peel the edges and let cool for a few minutes before slicing.
9. Optional: Add powdered sugar using a strainer and you may want to have some Nutella on the side (as a dip) and don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of milk.