Brownies are the only dessert where there are many textures and types each one of them is loved equally by people. Brownies can be soft and fudgy, they can be chewy, they can be cakey as well and sometimes brownies are almost like very thick cookies. There are folks all over the world who will debate which brownie is the best. I am in no position to argue on which is better but I know which one I like best.

My favorite are the gooey fudgy brownies and I had tried several recipes for these but I could never get the results I was looking for. My search for the best brownies ended with this recipe from Allrecipes. I did make some changes to it and loved the end results. My son loved them too and asked for a new batch immediately after the old one finished. This was a double victory for the food lover in me and for the mother in me! I had a lot of fun making these and eating them with my usual cup of coffee or with a scoop of ice-cream. The ease of this recipe is remarkable and that is what makes it a real keeper.

Brownies are often very hard to remove from their pans in one piece so the recommended method is to place a piece of foil inside the pan and press it inside the pan to cover it inside completely and then to put the batter into it. Once the brownies are baked the foil can be lifted easily from the sides to release brownie from the pan without breaking it. Of course the brownie can be baked in a greased pan and then the individual pieces can be cut within the pan and removed easily.

I have made several changes to the original recipe. I add 1 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate to the butter while it is melting to add richer chocolate flavor. I have also reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and added chocolate chips to the batter. The chips melt inside the brownie making it even more gooey and soft. I also like to add a teaspoon of instant coffee powder to the batter to accentuate the flavors and color of the brownie. I skipped the frosting in the original recipe as the brownie is rich enough on its own and does not need additional frosting to add taste or moisture. But in case you need the brownie for an occassion for instance you may top it with the frosting in the original recipe .

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 oz square unsweetened baking chocolate (chopped)

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. Grease a 8 inch square baking pan or alternatively line it with foil and brush with some oil/butter.

2. Melt the butter in a pan along with the unsweetened chocolate in a large pan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla and eggs. Beat in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and instant coffee. When combined, add the chocolate chips.

3. Spread the batter in a prepared pan and bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake.

4. When done, cool the pan on a wire rack and lift the aluminium foil to remove the brownies.