Birthday brownies

My birthday is this week, and as you clever readers probably know, calories don’t count on your birthday. I love frosting and have a serious weakness for cupcakes–but this year, I think I might whip up a batch of brownies in lieu of a proper birthday cake. I got this idea from Nigella Lawson’s “How to Be a Domestic Goddess,” and to this day, her brownies are the best I’ve come across. (My daughter and I made some last month, and as you can tell from the photos above, she agrees!)

Here’s my go-to recipe. Do you have an amazing brownie recipe? If so, please share!

Nigella’s Brownies
1 2/3 cup soft unsalted butter
13 ounces of good bittersweet chocolate
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350. Line your brownie pan (around 13×9″) with parchment paper (Note: I use tin foil and it works fine!)

Melt butter and chocolate together over medium-low heat in a large heavy-based pan.In a bowl or large wide-louthed measuring cup, beat the eggs with the vanilla and sugar. Put the flour and salt in another bowl.

When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar, and then the nuts and flour. Beat until the mixture is smooth, then pour it into your lined pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready because the top will be pale brown, but the center will be soft and dense. Remember, they’ll keep cooking as they cool, so don’t leave them in the oven longer than 25 minutes. This isn’t a dry, boxed brownie mix kind of brownie; these have a much softer, almost fudge-like consistency–which, IMO, makes them delicious.

Recipe adapted from “How to Be a Domestic Goddess“.

-Camille