Choco-licious

This morning dawned bright and beautiful, with the house a frigid 64 degrees. Clearly, if that is my idea of "frigid," I am not quite ready for fall. I like to think I am anxious for sweaters, homemade soups and bread, and the crisp fall air, yet mornings like this make me anxious for it only if I can have lazy mornings to sleep in.

Though sleep in, I did. So did the buglet. It was needed however, and our health will thank us for it.

Last night in a moment of sheer surprise, I made an offer of bribery to my dear friend P. There's something we both feel strongly he should be doing yet he hastn't been, so I knew some serious compelling was in order. Enter: brownies. Not just any brownies would do however. They simply must be the world's best brownies, ever.

(Lest you think I am setting a negative light here, let me assure you he's a far better person than I will ever be. The encouraged change is really nothing big.)

Which sets the stage, once again, for my dear Alton.

Today's Sunday baking recipe is another of our household standards.

Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies with my commentary, of course, since it's my blog.

soft butter for greasing the pan
flour for dusting the pan
(or, just butter the pan then make a parchment sling like he did on the show)
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
4 eggs
8 oz. melted butter (the real stuff, baby!)
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 tsp kosher salt (if you use regular salt, cut this by at least half)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter and flour (or parchment) an 8 inch square pan. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat eggs at medium speed until they are fluffy and light yellow. Yes, this matters. You want light yellow. Add both sugars. After they are fully mixed into the egg, add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. (Yes, they are good with nuts too. Choc chips however seem to take away rather than complement the delightfulness.)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes (I have no idea what climate this time is for. In the Rockies mine take an hour in either a gas or electric oven.) Test them with the toothpick test. It's true, a pick should come out clean, even though these are brownies. When they are done, set on a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut them until they are mostly cool (this will take 2+ hours).

Take a bite and prepare for your eyes to roll so far back into your head that you wonder if you'll ever see normally again. For reals. They are rich enough that you can easily cut the pan into 20-25 brownies and have people feel fulfilled with their size. In the last eight years I've regularly made these, I've only had one person say they were too rich. If they are for you, I'm sincerely sorry and will be happy to eat the rest of your batch.

Enjoy!