I can’t say enough about these brownies. Really. Brownies are right up there with chocolate chip cookies in terms of personal preferences and biases. I think that brownies disappoint eager audiences just as often, even if they don’t have that old “it’s actually a raisin” trick that cookies do. Sometimes they look like they will be perfect but deliver a bit of a chalky pasty bite that brings a person down. Sometimes they just leave you with a meeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh. But these brownies will not. They will remind you why brownies were dreamed up in the first place. They are worth the time on the treadmill. They are worth making, worth eating, and worth wiping off five chocolate faces and 50 mudgy fingers. They stand behind the brownie promise and deliver. These brownies are it. Try them, really, do. No one will mind.
Here you go:
1/2 c. butter
6 oz. Milk chocolate chips
12 oz. Dark chocolate chips (divided)
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
scant teaspoon cinnamon
Melt the butter and 6 oz. of each kind of chocolate chips in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour. Stir in the last 6 oz. of dark chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and pop into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Prepare yourself.
0
0
Oh, I can’t wait to try this one!!!
I might just have to make an “emergency” trip to the grocery store for some dark chocolate! Which recipe is your favorite…these or the last brownie recipe you posted? ‘Cause the last recipe was nigh unto perfection. 🙂
Oh, I love these brownies too! May I add that they still turn out great even if you need to use gluten free flour?! Lots of baked yummies aren’t transferable for gf people, but these are so awesome. 🙂
Jessica –
These are pretty much the same ones. They are different only in chocolate combination ( I use semi-sweet only on the others), and the awesome addition of cinnamon. I also skip the frosting business on these and just lay into them straight out of the pan 🙂
Oh, I forgot –
These are my favorite! But they are cousins, so I like them both!
Rachel,
I couldn’t wait…I sent my hubby out to the store to by the chocolate and we made them right way. We spoild our dinner, but it was so worth it! They are the BEST brownies ever!!! Thanks for making our “Bill paying night” so much more jolly!
I confess to being the opposite of a brownie snob. Brownie promiscuous? I rarely meet a brownie I don’t like. (Overdone and dry is the only sin.) These sound quite wonderful.
Rachel,
These sound crazy delicious! I’m new to this blog and have been wondering about you and your lovely fam’s attitude toward food. You seem to always be cooking up something delicious and evidently delight in God’s good gift of food. But you all seem to be lovely and slim! I need to lose a fair amount of weight (about 30kg’s – not sure what that is in pounds!) in order to be at a weight that is healthy for my body. My husband has gently requested that I do lose the weight- so I know that its an absolute must. And I would like to remain slim once I have lost the weight as I know that this is good stewardship of my body, will give me tons more energy( I am only 24 and often exhausted)and will bless my husband immensely. But, I would also like to cook meals that delight my family and are yummy and attractive. Most yummy meals and treats are calorie loaded (your brownies being exhibit A.) I was wondering how you personally hold the two in balance? Or are you able to eat whatever you like without gaining weight? If you have dealt with the issue of eating to the glory of God somewhere else on this blog, please would tell me where? Your blog has been a huge challenge and encouragement to me and I am looking forward to reading your book. I often have the urge to run to my room and flop to my knees and ask our immensely kind God for forgiveness and grace to change. Or pick up a crochet hook and make something lovely for my little girl. What more could you ask for in a blog? 🙂
I have a brownie recipe super similar to this one and love it! Although…I tried a new one recently w/ browned butter and just had to share.
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/02/cocoa_brownies_with_browned_butter_and_walnuts
I don’t know why the recipe says they take so long to make- they don’t. Also, toast the walnuts first, it makes all the difference. (Also, I don’t mess w/using foil.)
Emily –
Welcome to the blog!
At one point in my life I was naturally slim, but that was before kids, before I was really even an adult. These days I have to work for it (and I am not there yet – Blaire is 9 months old, so I am still in the postpartum rehab time with a good 10 or 15 lbs to go.)
I highly recommend Weight Watchers as a great diet plan – it is a very slow and steady, maintain for life kind of a diet, and it works. I also love how it makes you evaluate your food choices, but doesn’t outlaw anything altogether. Once you have figured out how to do it, it comes very naturally too.
A large percentage of the meals I make for dinner are from Cooking Light – you can find them online, and since a lot of dieting is about portion control, it is more about my own self control than what meals are on the table, or brownies in the pan. I certainly didn’t make cookies or brownies or treats nearly as much when it was just two adults. But now they go pretty fast without me even touching them! I also belong to a gym and I try (now that I am seriously trying to lose the baby weight) to do a good hour of cardio four times a week or so.
I want to page Heather to write her post about gyms, weight loss, and getting it together…. Heather! We are ready for you!!
I would love to hear from Heather, too! My mom was in Moscow this weekend and saw Heather out walking with her crew.
The brownies look delish, but I’m particularly enjoying the honest weight talk…especially since after baby five (and, um, two years) I still have this pesky fifteen pounds hanging around, some of which came back after weaning. ACK! :^) I wonder if this is the time of year that everyone suddenly feels resolved to put the treats down. now. I love what you are saying about not living a dieter’s life–you have to find the groove that works for your body and stick to it. This has been a very timely discussion for me, as I’m just getting back on the wagon eating-wise. I’ve had no problem getting out and exercising. It’s just the treats, and eating leftover bites of the kids’ food, and having a hard day and needing a piece of chocolate…
More apropos of your initial subject: my favorite brownies are similar to yours, but thicker. I think the greatest sin in brownies is having them half an inch thick. (Dried out is akin to the unpardonable sin…I cannot even pretend to rank it with other issues.). If I know a recipe is like that I’ll just put it in a smaller pan, to get more umph.
Yes, I vote for Heather’s post too. Right after the brownie post. 🙂
Speaking of recipes, Rachel. Any chance that “Hot Providence” will ever be back in print? I know several ladies that would love a copy.
Made these today and all the fellas in my house (pint size and full-grown alike) agree that these are the BEST gosh darn brownies out there. 🙂
I am pregnant right now and I probably won’t make these for a while right after the baby comes (they are just waaaay too yummy!) but at the moment, baby is informing me that she would like another. 😉
Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, after reading this post and subsequent comments i feel like i have to make penance for committing a heinous sin – just last week i made a batch of brownies that just didn’t work out. It was a new recipe which i was really excited about trying but it was disaster from the start – i was in a hurry and didn’t read the recipe properly so some ingredients went in at the wrong time. Then while they were baking i got busy doing something with my kids. By the time i remembered about them i’m ashamed to admit they were of the dry almost crunchy variety. 🙁 To make matters worse, we had guests arriving any moment so there was no time to make a new batch and that was all i had to offer them. I tried improving the situation by re-heating them and serving with icecream….but i’m still feeling guilty. So i think i’ll pick myself up, brush myself off and i might even try
making this recipe tomorrow – it’s late and one of the next best things to yummy brownies is sleep….goodnight! (it’s night time on my side of the world)
Years ago I was given a recipe called “All the Fat inn the World and Half the Sugar Brownies.” Man-O-man-O-man, those were the absolute best brownies I have ever tasted… hecksakes, they were the best tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth! Tragically, I lost the recipe in a move a year later and haven’t been able to find it anywhere, even with the wonderful Google at my disposal. Sooo…. all that to say, this recipe looks fairly similar to that old recipe- or at least my recollection of that recipe. Not quite as much fat involved… but hey, nevertheless, I am makin’ these babies this week for sure! Thanks so much for sharing?
The Brownie Babies are in the oven. I licked the spatula clean and am eagerly awaiting the finished result!
Emily,
I back Rachel on the Weight Watchers plan. It really is worth the monthly investment because weight control just doesn’t happen alone. The great thing about the WW plan is that you can still enjoy any kind of food, as long as you “budget” it in, so there is no giving up of anything, just being smart about how often and how much. I’m not willing to convert to sugar substitutes or skim cheese (yuk!) or fake butter, and it just means I have to plan it in. It is the first time I have ever lost weight on purpose and I love it!
False Spring fled- sorrow
Sunday, snow returning- white
Warm brownie delight
Hey Rachel,
Thanks for the great recipes. Would you be willing to share a favorite soup recipe? I’m looking for a tried and true favorite. Thanks.
Dear Ginny,
I recommend you type “Chicken Soup for Hungry People” into the site’s search engine. It does not disappoint :).
Until 3 weeks ago I had never made brownies from scratch. I guess I have had too many dry, bitter, homemade brownies and just never thought it was worth the time and expense compared to a box mix.
Then someone announced a brownie bake-off and volunteered me, so I tried many recipes. Unfortunately I have been so busy baking brownies (that flopped) and looking for alternative recipes that I didn’t take time to look at the regular blogs I read. This would have saved me much time!
I have learned much about brownie baking and do like the recipes that call for chocolate and not cocoa. Thanks for sharing your tried and true recipe.
Rachel, thank you for the brownie recipe and your comments about how you stay healthy. It’s encouraging to get confirmation that it’s ok to spend the time and money to take care of our appearance and bodies. I also love WW, and wanted to recommend my new favorite cookbook that is very conducive to WW, is easy to read and follow, and the recipes actually taste fantastic. It’s called America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. The recipes(so far) are so good, I don’t mind serving them to guests!
Rachel,
Thanks once more for the brownie awesomeness recipe! I needed a dessert to take to Bible Study and these babies were whipped up fast and vanished speedily. I think they will be my official go-to brownies!
I ran across this soooo stinkin’ cute brownie idea and had to share it here!
I have never been a huge fan of brownies…I think because I had dry or too-bitter-chocolatey brownies once too many times. I’m going to try these though! They sound good with our prolonged winter upon us! 🙂
Oh–and I 2nd..or 3rd or 4th the Weight Watchers thing. It does help you keep it off, unlike Atkins or even South Beach diets. And regular exercise and making sure you get the right amount of carbs throughout your day to keep your energy and metabolism steady! It’s slower than the fad diets out there, but it works!
I just made these and used semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. I wish I had gone to a different grocery store and found actual dark chocolate choc chips. They were a tad too sweet for me. I might try them again with dark choc choc chips and 1/2 the milk choc. Ooohhh and maybe I’ll add some espresso powder. Yum.
Is the “t” meant to be teaspoon or tablespoon for the salt and the baking powder?
This has become our favorite brownie recipe. Love the cinnamon in it. Thank you for sharing this one.
These are truly awesome brownies! And so quick and easy for homemade. I might put a bit less cinnamon in the next batch as a scant teaspoon was a little much for me. Thanks for this!