Some of the "And More"...BROWNIES!

Am I the only one who just adores brownies? Now that the mornings are getting chilly, and I am drawn back to the memories of my girlhood in Missouri, I am in a baking mood.

Here is Linden's Four-Chocolate Brownies O' Death recipe, adapted from Ghiradelli's label on their semi-sweet baking bar.

Preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:

2 oz Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar (1/2 bar)
2 oz Ghirardelli 60% or 70% Cacao Chocolate Baking Bar (1/2 bar)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cocoa
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chips (or Milk Chocolate Chips or mix them)

1. Butter and flour an 8” x 8” pan.
2. Place the two ½ bars of chocolate and the cut up butter in a heavy pan and put on low on burner to melt. Stir occasionally with spatula
3. Remove chocolate and butter from heat when almost melted and beat with spatula until smooth.
4. Add the cocoa and beat until completely smooth. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
5. Add vanilla and brown sugar to pan and stir with spatula until completely smooth.
6. Crack the two eggs into a bowl, remove chalaza [white “strings” on eggs] with a spoon. Use a fork to beat the eggs until a consistent orange color where the yolk and white are fully mixed.
7. Stir eggs into the chocolate mixture in the pan until mixture is again smooth.
8. Add chocolate chips to mixture in pan and stir
9. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture in pan slowly and mix well.
10. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Smooth top with spatula
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes. If you like a more “fudge-like” brownie, use the lower baking time. If you want a brownie that is more cake-like or will travel better, use up to 30 minutes. As always, use a clean knife, fork, or toothpick as a tester in the center of the pan. When it comes out clean, brownies are done.
12. Allow to cool at lest 5 minutes before cutting into 16 bars.

YIELD: 16 bars

NOTES (I created these for a friend who is new to cooking):

1. This recipe is adapted from the “Ghiradelli Classic Brownies” recipe on the back of the Semi-Sweet Baking Bar gold label.
2. I always use the wrapper from the stick of butter to butter the pan. I also use unbleached white flour for the sake of extra nutrients because after all, this is a health food (oh yeah, right…)
3. I have used a combination of the two chocolates and the cocoa to give a fuller range of chocolate “notes” in terms of flavor.
4. I have used Hershey’s cocoa in this mix with good results, but superior cocoas will yield a superior product.
5. I always use unsalted sweet cream butter—never margarine or margarine-butter mixes. The better quality butter and the fresher it is, the better your results.
6. Always store butter in the freezer, inside 3 gallon-size Ziplock bags, nested within each other. This keeps the butter extremely fresh and keeps it from picking up other flavors and odors.
7. I use a grocery store real vanilla labeled “Madagascar Bourbon” vanilla. Vanilla made from cognac yields outstanding results (buy a bottle of cognac; add 12-15 vanilla beans and leave for 6 months. It's great in any chocolate recipe.)
8. Obviously, you can add nuts, mix the types of chocolate chips or leave them out altogether, or add dried fruit pieces. Please experiment and let me know any exciting discoveries you make.
9. Don’t add much more than the 1/3 cup of chocolate chips or the brownie becomes a candy bar and is too rich even for this cook!
10. Always remember that substituting inferior ingredients (such as margarine, imitation vanilla, poor quality chocolate) will produce an infinitely inferior brownie.
11. Please feel free to pass this recipe on to anyone you wish