I’ve been making brownies since I was 10 years old and have tried many delicious brownie recipes from cookbooks, friends and the internet, which I’ve shared with family and friends. All of them were tasty, but not quite what I preferred, so I began experimenting and came up with this soft and delicious brownie recipe! 

It came as a surprise to find out that the United States celebrates National Brownie Day on December 8th. Brownies are the ultimate versatile “sweet,” and yes, they deserve to be celebrated! This sweet is neither a cake nor a cookie; it can be eaten as a snack or a dessert, and it can be served hot or cold.

Homemade chocolate brownies are my favorite classroom party treats, as well as a great choice for home tea/coffee parties, an office snack, or any other occasion. Kids adore them, and moms frequently ask for this simple and tasty recipe.

For classroom parties treats, I make the brownies, then cut them into squares with a sharp knife and place them in small transparent plastic food bags or small paper food bags 8,3X19,8 cm. Then seal them with a “thank you tag” or “gift tag” labels from DIYpartycreations.com, some yarn or ribbon, all of which I always have on hand … and the treats are ready for the kids at school!

Serving at home, I’ll cut large square pieces of brownies and place them in a serving tray or if served as a dessert the will go with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the summer and whipped cream & berries in the winter. Brownies are best served warm or at room temperature. I occasionally heat them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

For a tea buffet, I’ll serve smaller pieces in a serving tray and use “Buffet Tags” from DIYpartycreations.com to label all foods and drinks.

What’s great about this recipe is that you don’t have to do anything ahead of time other than make sure you have all of the ingredients. That is, eggs and butter do not need to be at room temperature.

So let’s get started!

Preparation: 15 minutes
Total Baking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 350 gr brown sugar
• 350 gr unsalted butter
• 80 gr cocoa powder
• 100 gr all-purpose flour

Optionally
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee (improves the aroma of the cocoa, but do not include this ingredient if you are serving children)
• 170 gr chopped nuts (prefer walnuts)

For less sweetness in taste, I usually add all the optional ingredients.

Putting everything together

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and light yellow (4-5 minutes). This raises the brownies and makes them fluffier. If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can achieve the same result by wishing for approximately 8 minutes.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the chocolate powder. 

3. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320ºF). 

4. Combine together the two mixtures into the mixing bowl. 

5. Mix flour and optional ingredients until the are fully incorporated.

6. In a 22×33 cm pan, place parchment paper and pour in the mixture.

7. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick or a knife into the center of the tray; It should come out clean of crumbs or dough. 

8. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. 

9. Cut into square pieces with a very sharp knife.

Enjoy!

Alternatives
• For a rich chocolate flavor, replace the nuts with chocolate chips or combine the two.
• Use dried fruit instead of nuts.
• Before baking, sprinkle with desired toppings (for example, sprinkles, mini marshmallows, shredded coconut or sprinkle flakes of sea salt).
• Orange, strawberry, or mint extract can be used in instead of vanilla extract.

Storage
Store in an air tight container for 3-4 days at room temperature or for 3 months in the freezer.

Serving
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or a glass of milk or whipped cream and berries.
• A layer of frosting can be appreciated (for example, vanilla, cheese, buttercream, coffee, chocolate) or hot fudge sauce!

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