VANILLA BROWNIES
Darkly chocolate, richly vanilla
saucepan brownies;
moist and fudgy in the center,
chewy on the edges
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Oven time: 30 – 40 minutes
Make 16 bars
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 inch length of vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3-1/2 - 4 ounces bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, in pieces
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, preferably toasted (optional)
- Powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a food processor, whiz the sugar and vanilla bean for several minutes until the vanilla is in tiny flecks.
Meanwhile, melt the butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs, then the sugar mixture, salt, flour and nuts.
Transfer the batter to a well-greased 8x8 cake pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and cut into 16 squares. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
