Brownies

So..husband's gone away on business...kids are in bed..feelin kinda bored..feelin kinda hungry.. feelin kinda like BROWNIES!!!  Except I don't make them often so I don't have an old standby AMAZING recipe.  I have a can of cocoa and a box of Bakers unsweetened chocolate squares...looked up a few recipes on the net..not really impressed.  So I pulled out the box of Baker's chocolate and ALAS there is a recipe for brownies right on the box...JACKPOT! 

BAKER'S ONE BOWL BROWNIES

4 squares Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup butter

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (optional)

1. LIGHTLY grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

2. MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM 2 minutes or until melted.

3. STIR sugar into chocolate until well blended; mix in eggs and vanilla.
4. STIR in flour and nuts; spread in pan.
5. BAKE in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 30-35 minutes or until done.  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Cool completely.  Makes 24 brownies.

(source: Box of Baker's unsweetened chocolate)

NOTE: because I am such a chocolate/peanut butter fanatic, I happened to have some chopped peanuts on hand so used those in place of the pecans  AND I iced with a peanut butter icing.

PEANUT BUTTER ICING

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbsp soft butter

1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1.  Cream together the peanut butter, butter and vanilla.  Blend in icing sugar.  Stir in cream until you get a nice spreading consistency, using more if necessary.

(source: Rebar modern food cookbook)

TASTE TEST:  Yum...crispy on outside, moist and chewy on inside.  Peanut butter frosting was good too, except I spread it on while brownies were still warm..hence the melted icing look in the picture:)  Oh well...I never said I was a professional.