Brownies - version 2

K made these lovely brownies.  I also have another brownie recipe here, but she wanted something less fudgy. She has full faith in the recipes on the Joy of Baking site, and this brownie was described as one with a cracked crust, moist centre and deep chocolatey flavour. It turned out just that way.  We planned it for dessert on a day I had a guest over for dinner.  And it also helped that the guest walked in with a tub of ice cream.  So we had two servings of the brownie - one with ice cream and one without.

As the brownie was out of the oven just as dinner got over, I could only manage this one picture.

The recipe is simple. A one bowl - no fuss method.  Only towards the end of baking, one needs to keep an eye on the brownies to make sure they don't dry out.  So the trick is to keep checking and remove it from the oven when the toothpick that is inserted comes out with a little bit of batter still sticking to it.

Ingredients: ( makes 16 nos)

Semi sweet chocolate - 150 gms - chopped
Unsalted butter - 113 gms - cut into pieces ( 1/2 cup)
Cocoa powder - 15 gms
Granulated white sugar - 200 gms ( 1 cup)
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Eggs - large - 3
All purpose flour - 95 gms ( 3/4 cup)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Semi sweet chocolate chips - 125 gms (3/4 cup) - optional
Nuts - optional - but added here - 1/2 cup

Prepare a 8" square tin.  Grease and line the bottom with parchment paper
Preheat the oven to 180 C

Melt chocolate and butter either over water or in the microwave
Remove, stir in the cocoa powder and sugar
Whisk in the vanilla extract
Add the eggs one at a time and continue to beat it well
Stir in the flour, salt and chocolate chips
Mix in the nuts

Pour into the prepared tin
Bake for about 20-25 minutes - till the toothpick comes out a little sticky in the centre.
Do not over bake

Remove and cool on wire rack.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.  With or without ice cream.