Yield: 4 2-1/2" square brownies
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (65-72 percent cacao)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch salt
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 6 tablespoons flour
Preparation:
2. Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, just until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. (If you want to use a microwave, heat for 1-minute intervals at 50 percent power, stirring after each minute. It will probably take 2-3 minutes).
3. Transfer the chocolate-butter mixture to a medium bowl. By hand, stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the egg and mix until thoroughly blended.
4. Add flour and stir until thoroughly incorporated, about a minute.
5. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops.
6. Place the pans on a small cookie sheet or sheet pan (this makes getting them in and out of the oven much easier) and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops have begun to crack slightly and a skewer inserting into the center comes out mostly clean but with crumbs sticking to it. At twenty minutes the brownies will be very fudgy throughout; the extra five minutes will produce a fudgy interior and chewy edges.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then carefully remove the foil, taking care not to break the brownies. Carefully peel off the foil and let the brownies cool completely before cutting each rectangle into two pieces.
*Note: If you want to make more brownies to freeze, simply double all the ingredients (12 tablespoons of flour = 3/4 cup) and use an 8x8" square pan lined with buttered foil for baking. The baking time may increase slightly, but 25 minutes will probably be enough time.
