Mmm...brownies

I have been gone way to long busy with life and everything in it. I'm going to make a much better effort to keep up this blog pretending that people read it :). I made some brownies a while back and took a picture of them to share. They tasted pretty good. They aren't the best I've ever had but they were worthwhile, and fudgy.

I believe this is the recipe below. I originally found it on the Penzey's website but it is no longer posted there.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 12 Tb. (¾ cup) cocoa, natural or Dutch process
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2-4 eggs (each egg makes the brownies richer but also higher in fat)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• ½ cup powdered sugar to sift on top of brownies (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9x13 inch glass pan.
2. Melt butter in a small pan over low heat, then sift in cocoa and whisk until smooth. Pour into a large mixing bowl; let cool.
3. Add sugar and vanilla; mix well.
4. Lightly whisk the eggs, then add to batter and stir to blend.
5. Add flour; stir until combined. Brownies should be stirred by hand until just blended.
6. Add nuts if desired; spoon into baking dish.
7. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the middle springs back when lightly pressed and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. Let cool, and then sift powdered sugar over the top if desired. Cut into small squares and store in a covered container.