Let’s be honest: the one thing that makes a meal feel fancy is dessert.
You can be as broke as you’ve ever been, but if you have a dessert – specifically a homemade dessert – you will feel rich. And special.
Or at least I do.
That’s why I always try to make a dessert when I take a meal to new parents or someone going through a hard time.
I don’t always pull it off. But I always try.
I saw a trend recently where a mom (many moms? I don’t really know) took this idea to its logical extreme and declared Brownie Fridays in their homes.
I think the title pretty much gives away the plot: If a dessert makes a meal feel fancy, then Brownie Fridays will make the week feel fancy.
I love the idea, but honestly, by the time Friday rolls around, I’m dragging. I might be able to pull off Brownie Tuesdays. Or Brownie Sundays!
But Brownie Fridays? Only if someone else is doing the baking.
Luckily, my daughters do like to bake on occasion.
Most recently, one of them finished up this recipe I’d started. It promised “Seriously Fudgy” brownies. We found it on your favorite baking website and mine, Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Look, I trust Sally and all, but frankly I was prepared to be disappointed.
I’ve made probably a hundred batches of brownies from various boxes and bags and tried half a dozen recipes that promised to surpass the boxed mix.
But when I weigh the hassle of a from-scratch brownie against its taste and texture, usually I remain unconvinced that the extra effort was worth it.
I don’t feel the same way about cookies and cakes. It seems to me that the scratch versions of those are most often superior to their box-mix counterparts.
But somehow brownie mixes hit all the right notes for taste and texture. So why would I spend extra time making my own?
Well, I know now. This recipe has convinced me that homemade brownies can actually be worth the extra few minutes.
The finished product has the chew that I love from a boxed mix combined with a richer chocolate flavor than I have found in any mix. For me, that’s a winner.
I hope you try them. I hope you love them.
And if you can pull off Brownie Fridays, I hope you tell me how.
BETTER-THAN-THE-BOX BROWNIES
(adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into chunks
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed; I used Hershey’s natural)
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Directions:
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch shiny metal baking pan with nonstick parchment paper or nonstick foil. (Note: The original recipe called for a 9-by-9-inch pan, but the baking time for us took much longer than the recipe indicated. I will make this in a 9-by-13 from now on.)
■ In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine half the chopped chocolate (2 ounces) and the chunks of butter. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until mixture is completely melted and smooth. Do not be tempted to microwave longer than 30 seconds at a time; overheating the chocolate will cause it to seize up, and at that point, it won’t be salvageable. Microwave it only as long as necessary and no longer.
■ Set chocolate aside to cool.
■ In a large mixing bowl with a mixer, mix together sugar and eggs until mixture is pale, about 3 minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Sift cocoa powder and flour into the mixture. Add salt. Mix just until combined and fold in remaining chopped chocolate and chocolate chips.
■ Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. It is better to underbake than overbake.
Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].
Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
