THE BEST FUDGE BROWNIES EVER

It's obvious at this point that I should have done a food blog! I'm sure after the baby is here, I won't have time to make all these wonderful treats, so maybe I'm overcompensating for that? Kind of like nesting (which I've never done by the way), but baking instead? I've been on the hunt for brownies that Danny will approve of. He prefers the box mix brownies...gasp. I make wonderful brownies by the way, but he claims my favorite recipe for brownies tastes more like cake (and they do, but I love them!). So really I just made these for him. Right.

THE BEST FUDGE BROWNIES EVER

photo and recipe via Cooking On the Side

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
*1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just till it’s hot, but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the butter and sugar a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating till smooth; then add the flour and chips, beating till well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out dry (though it may have a few crumbs clinging to it). The brownies should feel set both on the edges, and in the center. Remove them from the oven, and after 5 minutes loosen the edges with a table knife; this helps prevent the brownies from sinking in the center as they cool. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

*I substituted Dutch-Process Cocoa with Nestle's Sweetened Cocoa using the following formula:
--3 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder plus a pinch (1/8 teaspoon) baking soda. Eliminate the baking powder when making this substitution.