Fudge Brownies - by Lisa

So what is crazier than getting ready to add a new baby to the family in a mere two weeks? Moving to a new house of course! So that's why I've been a bit behind in my contributions. I was scheduled to make the flourless chocolate cake last week, but we were in full on packing mode (moved this past Sunday), and there just wasn't time. Hopefully I'll be able to complete that one this week or next week - we'll see how things go. I do have the kitchen mostly set up, and most importantly I have my baking cabinets fully organized. :) But I do miss my stove/oven!!!!! At least the one here is gas too.

My sister and her kids are visiting (and helping us unpack!), so I thought making the brownies would be a nice treat, plus my sister absolutely loves brownies! Like Summer said, this really is a pretty easy recipe.

For the chocolate portion, I used two different brands - Ghirardelli (semi-sweet) and Bakers (unsweetened). I still really struggle with efficiently chopping it, but found the Ghirardelli is much easier to chop when it is slightly soft (we had a pretty warm day yesterday). The Baker's chocolate, however, was a beast to get chopped. I guess I just need more practice! For whisking the eggs and sugar together, I used my stand mixer and boy did it get fluffy! I forgot to take a picture of that step. I also omitted the espresso powder, because I knew I'd be able to taste it, and I wanted to be able to enjoy these brownies fully!

 Melting the chocolate and butter

I got them into the oven fairly quickly and based on Summer's experience, I set the timer for 25 min instead of 30 just in case mine cooked quicker as well. When I checked them at 25 min, they seemed set and the top was cracked around the outer edge, so I decided to pull them out. After letting them cool for a little bit, I started to cut them up, and that was when I got concerned that they might have been a little under done. BUT they still tasted delicious and were indeed nice and fudgy which is just how I love my brownies!!! Hubby, sister and niece all approved and seconds were had by all. :) I definitely see myself making these again.