BROWNIES (not too sweet!)

                                        

                                                Prep time: 20 minutes

                                                Cook time:30 to 40 minutes

           

            This was my mother’s recipe. I grew up on these brownies. To think of them makes my mouth water.

            I don’t do desserts (my wife makes the desserts), but I must include this recipe because in my opinion, 99% of brownies are MUCH TOO SWEET. This recipe melds the bitterness of chocolate with just the right amount of sugar. And once you try it with raisins instead of nuts, you’ll likely never go back.

MUSIC: This calls for either The Rolling Stones LET IT BLEED or GET YER YA YAS OUT, or the Beatles REVOLVER album. If you don’t do the Stones or Beatles, try Ray Charles Hit The Road, Jack, or, if you can handle intense beautiful jazz, one of the great Weather Report tunes Birdland or Mr. Gone. 

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:

1. 1 Cup sugar
2. 2 eggs, unbeaten
3. 2 to 4 squares, 2 ounces each, of unsweetened cooking chocolate, melted (try it with 2 squares first, and get bold later as you wish).
4. ½ Cup flour
5. 1 Cup English walnuts, broken, OR raisins, OR a mix of the two (I like them with raisins best)
6. 1 teaspoon real vanilla
7. ½ Cup melted butter
8. ½ teaspoon salt (heaping teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Combine ingredients in order named.
• Beat thoroughly by hand.
• Bake in a greased shallow 8 inch pan, 25 minutes to 35 minutes in a slow oven (275 to 325 degrees).

CADENZA:  The goal is to have a soft-ish, intense chocolate flavor brownie. On occasion we have undercooked them, and ended up scooping them out like a mousse. Delicious. The raisins hold moisture well, so if you use raisins, you may need to cook longer, like 35-40 minutes instead of 25 minutes.

WINE: What? Yes, depending on the meal, a small glass of ruby Port accompanies this brownie well, because the brownie is not overly sweet.