The Easiest Best Brownies Ever
From: Kate Wrightson
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups walnut pieces (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10x15x1 jellyroll pan with foil. Grease the foil.
In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, begin melting the butter. When it's about half melted, add the chocolate. When the chocolate is
half melted, remove pan from heat and stir until butter and chocolate are completely melted.
Stir in the vanilla, sugar, eggs, and flour. Stir after each addition until the batter is smooth. Stir in the walnuts, if using.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. The batter will nearly fill the pan. Bake 25 minutes, or until the cake
is just set. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a baking sheet, peel off the foil, and invert brownies back
onto the rack. Cool to room temperature. Cut with a serrated (or wet) knife into 48 bars.
[Kate's notes: These are good with Baker's chocolate and stupendous with anything better. I will probably use Valrhona or ScharffenBerger
for the ones I bring on Saturday.]