Fudge Brownies

I made up this recipe while trying to devise a brownie formula that always yields tasty fudgy brownies. I still tweak the ingredients on occasion (a little less sugar; more butter; different flavorings etc...), but this method, as it is, has always been reliable.

For this recipe you will need:

7 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp rose water (or vanilla)

2 tbsp hazelnut spread

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder

*optional (1 cup of walnuts)

*1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

You want the butter to be soft and at room temperature. Cutting it into smaller pieces will help soften it faster and also make it easier to work into the sugar. Add the brown sugar into the softened butter and whisk together. You'll know everything is mixed well when there is no visible butter and the sugar starts to bind together.

Once the butter has been fully incorporated, and the sugar can hold its shape, add in the eggs and rose water (or vanilla, if using that instead).

Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture until you have a batter with a loose, peanut butter-like, consistency and color.

Add the hazelnut spread and continue mixing until fully incorporated then mix in the cocoa powder.

Mix in the flour and baking powder, beating until smooth.

(* Side note: Generally, most recipes for baked goods also call for a small amount of salt. This helps bring out the sweetness of the other ingredients. It's usually advised to use unsalted butter when baking so that you can control the exact amount of salt being add. I, however, usually don't have that on hand. And, I never seem to remember to pick some up before setting out to bake something. That being said, I used salted butter this time around, so there was no need to add salt. However, if the butter you have on hand happens to be unsalted, you'll definitely want to add about 1/4 tsp of salt with the flour and baking powder to compensate.)

Once the batter is well mixed, you can stir in the walnuts if using them.

Preheat the oven to 330 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the batter into a lined 8 inch baking pan. Be sure to smooth the batter into an even layer in the pan. When adding walnuts to this recipe, I like to also sprinkle extra walnuts on top of the batter before baking. Bake for 15 minutes, before rotating the pan. Finish baking for another 15 minutes (or until the batter doesn't shake when jostled and the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan). Allow the brownies to set for 10-15 minutes before cutting.