I’m always tweaking recipes and adding extra ingredients and flavors to things. Once I had this recipe tweaked to the way I wanted it, however, I have stopped messing with it. There are few things that I’m a purist about, but this brownie recipe is one of them. No frosting, no nuts, no chocolate chips, no toffee bits, nothing.
Barb’s Best Brownies
- 4 eggs
- 2 c. sugar
- 3/4 c. oil
- 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 t. vanilla
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder (NOT soda–soda turns this recipe into something icky)
- 1 1/3 c. flour
Whisk eggs and sugar together. Add oil and cocoa and mix thoroughly. Stir in vanilla, salt, baking powder and flour. Bake in a greased 9″x13″ pan at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the skewer or toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean.
These brownies practically beg to be eaten warm…maybe even hot. Sometimes so hot you have to use a plate and a fork. A dab of vanilla ice cream is a nice accompaniment too. Rarely will these brownies last through the night. They must be afraid of the dark because by morning, they are always completely gone.
bk
8 Comments
July 10, 2006 at 10:35 pm
I must add that it is most optimal if the vanilla you use is the Mexican Vanilla–the kind that tastes faintly like cinnamon. Regular vanilla is fine, but Mexican vanilla really makes the world’s best brownies.
Laura (Live in Washington, DC at the desk of my dear friend Retta)
September 27, 2006 at 5:38 pm
[...] One of these days I’ll have Nate share how he managed to morph brownies that contained a bad mistake into a delicious chocolate cake. The skill of fixing our mistakes is probably almost important as the skill of following the recipe in the first place! [...]
December 23, 2006 at 12:27 am
[...] Into a clean, dry jar, measure the ingredients of your favorite recipe. Do not put in anything that is moist or oily. This means that I took my favorite brownie recipe and left out the eggs, oil, and vanilla. In a cookie recipe, leave out the eggs, shortening, and vanilla. [...]
May 28, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Wow! I’m impressed, Barb—
thanks for letting me in on this…I feel privileged
Can’t wait to try the recipe for the brownies; I hope they taste as good as yours did
March 25, 2008 at 1:14 am
These are excellent! Everyone that has tried these is thoroughly impressed. The only change I have made is the cooking time. In my oven they have needed an additional 10 minutes to bake to perfection. Thanks for the great recipe.
December 21, 2008 at 9:51 pm
[...] Jump to Comments For many years I’ve been armed with the World’s Best Brownie Recipe and have never longed for any other brownies. But Friday night, I sampled these mint brownies and [...]
April 6, 2009 at 8:38 am
Barb,
I will make these up for Nathan’s supper tonight. I am craving chocolate and he is as good as an excuse as any, right?
July 6, 2009 at 5:50 pm
You should add 2-3 tablespoons of ground coffee! Sooo good. :]