Life is hard. It’s really stressful, isn’t it? I know, I know. We could be in a third world country. We could be working full-time instead of studying at a great university in a beautiful town. But sometimes, even with all of the good things in our lives, we just want to break down and cry.
Your professor may have yelled at you for stumbling in late, making you spill your green tea down your new sweater. You might have broken the heel off of your H&M pumps coming out of the Vic last night. Perhaps your boyfriend broke up with you right after you got turned down for yet another flat. Basically, you’ve had a terribly, horrifically, abysmally awful week. There is only one true cure for that feeling of endless agony. Chocolate, of course.
A brownie is one of the best antidotes to the blues that I have come across. A nibble off of the corner of a fudge-y, dense brownie never fails to cheer me up. That is until I realize there isn’t another one. The solution to such a disheartening problem is to bake an entire batch. All for yourself. Most other brownies pale in comparison to these. Their chocolate flavor is powerful and up-front, but it isn’t overwhelming. They are just sweet enough, and the texture is sublime. I can truthfully say that they knock every coffee shop brownie in St Andrews right out of the park. The best part? They’ll be ready in just over thirty minutes. Now who can argue with that?
Perfect Brownies
Adapted from Baked via Martha Stewart
Makes 9
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the espresso powder. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the sugars, stirring until the mixture is no longer grainy.
Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and slide into the oven. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.