Brownies, warm, or cooled...........

IF you like 'very chocolatey' (fudgey) chocolate brownies, these are great!

WHOA!!!!--  If you google 'recipe brownie', you will likely come up with  11 MILLION, 3 HUNDRED THOUSAND websites to choose from.  So, take your pick-- or, keep the recipe you already have and like.   I don't claim it to be better than every other brownie in the world, but the recipe I do like is shown  below in this posting...

By lining your baking pan/dish with foil/parchment paper that has 'lift edges' (as pictured below in this post), it is super easy to lift brownies out of the pan while they are still warm.  Almost any frosting put on the top of a 'warm one' will quickly soften and run over the 'cliffs' like this....

OR, as shown at the beginning of this post, let the brownies cool and frost them with the same frosting for this effect...

TIP:  If you don't want your brownies to be cake-like, don't use an electric mixer-- the hand-stirring method makes a more fudge-like brownie.  Just one bowl and a spatula/wooden spoon will do.

8x8 OR 9x9-inch baking pan/dish (I used 9x9-inch)

350° oven

INGREDIENTS: 

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I measured out and used 4 oz. of Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup melted, or very soft butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, as is.
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray OR grease/flour an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan/dish.  IF it is important to you that you end up with clean/sharply cut edges on the brownies, prepare pan as in the following picture so you can lift them out after baking.   It maybe isn't necessary, but I also lightly spray the parchment paper.

After baking, you can cool them for a while in the dish and then, using the paper edges, lift them out, put 'em on a flat surface  (a cutting board, etc.), frost them and put into the freezer for about two hours (today, I put these on our -9 degree porch for an hour).  Cut with long knife........ and, they'll end up all perfect/pretty!

Back to the main directions...

• In medium/large microwave-safe bowl, melt unsweetened chocolate (check and stir after each 30-seconds).
• Add butter and sugar to the melted unsweetened chocolate and stir until well blended.
• Add slightly beaten eggs and vanilla; stir until evenly blended. 
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir this dry combination into the liquid mixture.  Stir gently and only long enough to fully incorporate.
• Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Stir in chopped walnuts, if desired.
• Spread evenly into the prepared (sprayed, or greased/floured) pan. 
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick comes out with just a hint of a 'crumb' sticking to it.  (Toothpick should not be 'covered with brown', and it should not come out totally 'clean'.)  
• Cool before cutting into squares. (Or, lift out while warm by using 'parchment paper or foil liner with lift tabs' and cut as directed above.)

Frosting (more of a ganache):

Mix together the following...

• 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature 
• If you want the frosting to be thinner, carefully add milk/cream-- only 1 teaspoon at a time.

Frost brownies while they are still warm IF you want this to run over the top and sides. 

Frost when cool IF you want it to stay on the top, as is usual.  OR,.......... don't frost, at all!

It's -9 degrees here right now, with a windchill of  -20!  Hot chocolate (brown!) and brownies (another brown!) seem so right for today.