Fudge Brownies

Several years ago, I went to a family Christmas party and was asked to bring brownies. I put it off until I had to, for some reason, and made a brownie mix from a box. At the party, my brother-in-law (who is a total chocoholic) found out that I had made the brownies and he said to me, "Wow, Hannah, did you make these from scratch?!" And I was so embarrassed to tell him that, no, they were from a box.

Ever since that Christmas day, I was on the hunt for a recipe that makes super moist, fudgy, deep chocolate brownies, just like the box mix. Well, about a year and a half ago, it happened. I was reading a magazine (it was either Martha Stewart or Paula Deen) and came across this recipe. I gave it a try, as I did with almost every brownie recipe I found, and fell in love!

This is it. This recipe is FANTASTIC!!! It is dark and rich and moist and super fudgy! Perfection, in my book.

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. butter, melted

1 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 C. dark brown sugar, packed

1 C. white, granulated sugar

1/2 t. salt

4 eggs (or if you prefer more cakey brownies, use 5 eggs rather than 4)

1 1/4 C. flour

1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 C. chopped nuts, opt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine butter and cocoa; mix well. Add sugars and salt; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts (if desired), and any other add-ins that you'd like (I like to add mini Reese Pieces sometimes, mmmm). Spread evenly in pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until edges pull away slightly from pan.

You'll just have to trust me when I say, "These brownies are AMAZING!!!"