Submitted by nicole on Thu, 11/21/2013 - 10:07

I'll be the first to admit it: brownie mixes are actually very good. Much better than cake mixes, in my opinion. And I have absolutely no objection to using brownie mixes. But every once in a while, I want the outrageously delicious brownies my mother always made when we were growing up. And every time I make them, I realize how stunningly easy they are--almost as easy as the box mix!

The texture is just perfect--a craggy crust and a rich, moist center. And the flavor...wow. Intense. CHOCOLATE.

Saucepan Brownies Recipe

11 T butter
2 oz semisweet chocolate
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup regular granulated white sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 t salt
2 t baking powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 pan (or line with parchment).

In a 3 quart saucepan, gently melt the butter and chocolates.

Remove from heat, and stir in brown sugar, white sugar, and the vanilla.

Stir in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder--I usually sift them together to eliminate any lumps).

Add eggs one at a time, stirring briefly after each addition. Add in nuts, if desired.

Pour into the prepared 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. I thought I'd be cute and use these adorable little miniature cast iron skillets I have, but let me warn you, these are WAY OVERFILLED. A fact that I didn't realize until the smoke started pouring out of the oven. So just be warned, if you make individual servings, use less batter than you think you need, and put a pan to catch any overflow, just in case.

So this batch didn't turn out as prettily as I wanted them to.

It was a terrible burden to have to top the warm brownies with vanilla ice cream and eat it myself, rather than saving them for the Mud Pie Bakery party. Terrible, I say.

Note: these are delicious the first day, but if you can exercise self control, they taste even better, and cut more cleanly, by day two.