I am the eldest child (well, at least chronologically). Not an easy task. As the eldest, you are the experimental child. Your parents really have NO clue what to do with a baby, a toddler, a child, a tween, and (EEK!) a teenager.
When you get to the youngest child – especially if there is a gaggle of children – that youngest child can pretty much juggle knives and it’s okay.
Me: “when I was your age …”
Sandro: (eye rolling)
Me: “Yes, I know, I was never your age. But, when I was, I had a midnight curfew!”
Sandro: “What!?”
Me: “Not that I ever came home on time, and was grounded constantly, but yes, at 21 I had a midnight curfew.”
I couldn’t go away for a weekend with friends, just miles away, without a lot of guff. Sandro is going to CANCUN with friends. Le sigh.
On the other hand, I never had hand-me-downs. And while knife juggling and staying out late wasn’t allowed, my parents’ life fit around my schedule, as opposed to all those that follow whose every move has to really fit around everyone else’s schedules. Also, my parents let me try any activity that tickled my fancy. After a bunch-o kids, you already know when certain activities will last about 45 seconds before they flit on to something else and you become more hesitant to sign that permission slip.
What does this have to do with brownies, you may ask. Absolutely NOTHING!
Oh, that ^ handsome fella is Sandro. And when I said I felt like baking something and then said brownies, his face lit up. So, really how could I refuse! What brownies to make? I had wanted to try these brownies since first seeing them in Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours. This was the perfect opportunity. As always happens, Sandro disappeared while I was getting ready to bake these brownies and he only re-emerged from his room once he smelled the just out of the oven brownies!
These are really chocolatey. Nice crisp top and a gooey inside. They’re made in one pot – another BIG plus. Just pay attention to the part about BUTTERING the baking pan (I didn’t) and letting them cool completely before cutting (Sandro didn’t). They get better and richer as they sit. These definitely go into the brownie rotation!
NOTE: Not having baker’s chocolate and being far TOO lazy to go out, I opted for the cocoa.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter with the cocoa or chocolate together in a heavy saucepan over medium low, whisking constantly till blended. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and walnuts. Mix well.
Pour into a well buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for about 40 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
NOTE: SEE THOSE WORDS … WELL BUTTERED!? I am just seeing them NOW! They were a bit difficult getting out of the baking pan.
Cool completely and cut into squares. These brownies are very fudgy and may be somewhat difficult to slice cleanly; use a sharp knife and a spatula to help them loosen from the baking dish.
NOTE: Ah, the other problem with getting them out was that other foreign word … COOL!
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.%20Not%20an%20easy%20task.%20As%20the%20eldest,%20you%20are%20the%20experimental%20child.%20Your%20parents%20really%20have%20NO%20clue%20what%20to%20do%20with%20a%20baby,%20a%20toddler,%20a%20child,%20a%20tween,%20and%20(EEK!)%20a%20teenager.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhen%20you%20get%20to%20the%20youngest%20child%20%E2%80%93%20especially%20if%20there%20is%20a%20gaggle%20of%20children%20%E2%80%93%20that%20youngest%20child%20can%20pretty%20much%20juggle%20knives%20and%20it%E2%80%99s%20okay.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMe:%20%E2%80%9Cwhen%20I%20was%20your%20age%20%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESandro:%20(eye%20rolling)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMe:%20%E2%80%9CYes,%20I%20know,%20I%20was%20never%20your%20age.%20But,%20when%20I%20was,%20I%20had%20a%20midnight%20curfew!%E2%80%9D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESandro:%20%E2%80%9CWhat!?%E2%80%9D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMe:%20%E2%80%9CNot%20that%20I%20ever%20came%20home%20on%20time,%20and%20was%20grounded%20constantly,%20but%20yes,%20at%2021%20I%20had%20a%20midnight%20curfew.%E2%80%9D%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20couldn%E2%80%99t%20go%20away%20for%20a%20weekend%20with%20friends,%20just%20miles%20away,%20without%20a%20lot%20of%20guff.%20Sandro%20is%20going%20to%20CANCUN%20with%20friends.%20Le%20sigh.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOn%20the%20other%20hand,%20I%20never%20had%20hand-me-downs.%20And%20while%20knife%20juggling%20and%20staying%20out%20late%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20allowed,%20my%20parents%E2%80%99%20life%20fit%20around%20my%20schedule,%20as%20opposed%20to%20all%20those%20that%20follow%20whose%20every%20move%20has%20to%20really%20fit%20around%20everyone%20else%E2%80%99s%20schedules.%20%20Also,%20my%20parents%20let%20me%20try%20any%20activity%20that%20tickled%20my%20fancy.%20After%20a%20bunch-o%20kids,%20you%20already%20know%20when%20certain%20activities%20will%20last%20about%2045%20seconds%20before%20they%20flit%20on%20to%20something%20else%20and%20you%20become%20more%20hesitant%20to%20sign%20that%20permission%20slip.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhat%20does%20this%20have%20to%20do%20with%20brownies,%20you%20may%20ask.%20Absolutely%20NOTHING!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOh,%20that%20%5E%20handsome%20fella%20is%20Sandro.%20And%20when%20I%20said%20I%20felt%20like%20baking%20something%20and%20then%20said%20brownies,%20his%20face%20lit%20up.%20So,%20really%20how%20could%20I%20refuse!%20What%20brownies%20to%20make?%20I%20had%20wanted%20to%20try%20these%20brownies%20since%20first%20seeing%20them%20in%20Dorie%20Greenspan%E2%80%99s%20book%20Baking:%20From%20My%20Home%20to%20Yours.%20This%20was%20the%20perfect%20opportunity.%20%20As%20always%20happens,%20Sandro%20disappeared%20while%20I%20was%20getting%20ready%20to%20bake%20these%20brownies%20and%20he%20only%20re-emerged%20from%20his%20room%20once%20he%20smelled%20the%20just%20out%20of%20the%20oven%20brownies!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThese%20are%20really%20chocolatey.%20Nice%20crisp%20top%20and%20a%20gooey%20inside.%20They%E2%80%99re%20made%20in%20one%20pot%20%E2%80%93%20another%20BIG%20plus.%20Just%20pay%20attention%20to%20the%20part%20about%20BUTTERING%20the%20baking%20pan%20(I%20didn%E2%80%99t)%20and%20letting%20them%20cool%20completely%20before%20cutting%20(Sandro%20didn%E2%80%99t).%20They%20get%20better%20and%20richer%20as%20they%20sit.%20These%20definitely%20go%20into%20the%20brownie%20rotation!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENOTE:%20Not%20having%20baker%E2%80%99s%20chocolate%20and%20being%20far%20TOO%20lazy%20to%20go%20out,%20I%20opted%20for%20the%20cocoa.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPreheat%20oven%20to%20325%20degrees.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMelt%20butter%20with%20the%20cocoa%20or%20chocolate%20together%20in%20a%20heavy%20saucepan%20over%20medium%20low,%20whisking%20constantly%20till%20blended.%20Remove%20from%20heat%20and%20stir%20in%20the%20sugar.%20Whisk%20in%20the%20eggs%20and%20vanilla.%20Stir%20in%20flour,%20salt%20and%20walnuts.%20Mix%20well.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPour%20into%20a%20well%20buttered%208-inch%20square%20baking%20pan.%20Bake%20for%20about%2040%20minutes%20till%20a%20toothpick%20inserted%20in%20the%20center%20comes%20out%20clean.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENOTE:%20SEE%20THOSE%20WORDS%20%E2%80%A6%20WELL%20BUTTERED!?%20I%20am%20just%20seeing%20them%20NOW!%20They%20were%20a%20bit%20difficult%20getting%20out%20of%20the%20baking%20pan.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ECool%20completely%20and%20cut%20into%20squares.%20These%20brownies%20are%20very%20fudgy%20and%20may%20be%20somewhat%20difficult%20to%20slice%20cleanly;%20use%20a%20sharp%20knife%20and%20a%20spatula%20to%20help%20them%20loosen%20from%20the%20baking%20dish.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENOTE:%20Ah,%20the%20other%20problem%20with%20getting%20them%20out%20was%20that%20other%20foreign%20word%20%E2%80%A6%20COOL!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELike%20Loading...%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ERelated%3C/p%3E){kind=small}
