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HOMEMADE BROWNIES

Before law school, I ran a small artisan shop called Hillsboro Chocolate Company. While we specialized in handmade truffles and filled chocolates, we also offered one delicious baked item—homemade brownies. This brownie recipe serves as the perfect canvas for your Valentine’s favorite flavors, matching beautifully with peanut butter, chocolate chips, nuts, or fruit. In the shop, we topped our brownies with homemade salted caramel.

Whether you are spending your Valentine’s Day celebrating friendship, love, or taking care of yourself, whip up a batch of these brownies, mix in your favorites, and enjoy. n

Ingredients

• ½ cup salted butter, melted (if you substitute unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt) • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutchprocessed) • 1 cup sugar • 2 eggs (room temperature is best) • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (use high quality vanilla here, it’s worth it! Madagascar Bourbon or Mexican pure vanilla extracts are my favorites) • ½ cup all-purpose flour • any mix-in you’d like (chocolate chips, pecans, caramel, peanut butter, etc.)

Directions

Note: The order of ingredients matters. Following the steps below will help ensure that your brownies have the right consistency and mouthfeel. 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Line 8-inch square pan with foil. I fold my foil into a rectangle so it lays flat on the bottom of the pan and drapes over its opposing sides without crinkling. This prevents uneven cooking and helps the brownies come out of the pan. Grease bottom and sides. 3. In a bowl, melt ½ cup of butter. Be careful not to heat the butter too much or you will end up with scrambled eggs later on. Add ½ cup cocoa to the butter and stir until combined. 4. Add 1 cup of sugar and mix together. It should form a grainy paste. Don’t be alarmed. 5. Add each of your eggs to your mixture one at a time. Stirring between eggs. 6. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and stir. 7. Fold in ½ cup flour. If you are using any mix-ins, add those in now as well. (Note: Feel free to top your mixture with your additions instead of mixing them in if you’d prefer.) Combine your ingredients together, careful not to overmix. Mix just until you can no longer see the flour. The mixture will be thick. Again, don’t be alarmed. 8. Spread mixture into your prepared pan and bake until done, approximately 25 minutes. Be sure not to overbake or your brownies will be dry and your Valentine will be sad. 9. After you remove from the oven, use your foil to remove brownies from the pan in one sheet; allow brownies to cool on a cutting board. 10. Once cooled completely, cut into triangles, and serve.