Quick and Easy Homemade Brownies

…you’ve got to make these today!

These are the best brownies you’ve ever tasted, and this recipe is almost as quick to make as a boxed mix. With ingredients that are usually on hand, you can whip up a batch of these quick and easy homemade brownies in no time at all, making this the perfect recipe to save for when last-minute guests arrive. They can even be easily customized to be gluten-free.

Quick and Easy Homemade Brownies

There are two types of brownies– cakey and fudgy. I prefer fudgy, and worked to get these down to a sort of fudgy state of being without being so “loose” that they fall apart on cutting.

A couple of things are really, really important to know when making these brownies:

• Obviously, the higher quality ingredients, the better your brownies will be. The most important ingredients, in my opinion, are the butter and chocolate, followed by the vanilla extract. I use real butter (never margarine), and high quality baking cocoa. Hershey’s is fine, but Ghirardelli is better. If you have a good baking cocoa you like, by all means, please let me know in the comments!
• It’s better to let refrigerated ingredients sit out for awhile. Don’t worry about the butter as you will melt it, but let your eggs sit out for about half and hour to “unchill.” However, if you did not pre-plan and need to make these immediately, do not worry about that. I often skip the step.
• Please grease your pan with butter, not cooking spray. Your tastebuds will thank you.
• Do not, I repeat, do NOT cut these before they are cooled. You are going to want to. Your family is going to want you to. Please do not do it. There– you are forewarned.

In conclusion…

What are you waiting for? Make up a batch of these incredibly delicious, quick, easy, homemade brownies today…. The best brownies you’ve ever tasted.

The Best Brownies You’ve Ever Tasted

Recipe by Kim AshbaughCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

173

kcal

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I use Hershey’s)

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 packet Cafe Bustelo instant espresso

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• In large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter.
• Add cocoa; stir until completely combined.
• Add sugar and vanilla; combine.
• Lightly beat eggs in small bowl; add to butter mixture. Mix well.
• In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and optional espresso powder. Blend into wet ingredients.
• Grease a 8×8 or 9×11 pan with butter.
• Pour the brownie mixture in to the pan, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mixture will be thick.
• Bake for 30-45 min. Start with less time until you know how your particular oven will do. You don’t want burnt brownies!!!

Notes

• Substitute 1 to 1 gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour for a perfectly-delicious gluten-free version.
• 
  Cooking time varies as all ovens are different. Check these after 20 minutes the first time you make them. Use a knife inserted into the middle of the brownies to test doneness. The knife should come out clean.
• 
  Use a metal pan for more even baking. The larger the pan, the thinner the brownies will be. I prefer the 8×8 pan, but the cooking and cooling times will be longer.
• 
  Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. I know it’s hard….
• 
  These do not need frosting– they are already so sweet. If you want something on the top, you could dust a little powdered sugar over them, but again.. they are so sweet already.