Make Some Brownies from Scratch—It's Easy!

When it's cold and rainy out, nothing makes your home cozier than baking something delicious. It's a fun activity that kids love to help with, it fills the house with a wonderful aroma, and you get a treat to eat when it's all finished. Chewy, chocolatey brownies are a perfect choice. They're easy to make, tasty, and we don't know anyone who doesn't like them

While there are plenty of quality mixes out there that you can use if pressed for time, making them from scratch really isn't all that more difficult. In fact, you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator. Making brownies from scratch also guarantees that you control what goes into them—no preservatives, chemicals, hydrogrenated oils, and other unnatural stuff.

Over time, I've been trying out different brownie recipes to see which one I like the best. Here's the simple, basic, brownie recipe that I came up with after quite a bit of trial and testing. It can be easily modified to make versions beyond your run-of-the-mill brownie, too.

To make them, you'll need:

• 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (4 squares)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Get an 8-inch cake pan and line it with aluminum foil. Make sure you allow a couple inches to extend over the sides of the pan. Spray foil with cooking spray or grease well.

Put chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high 1 1/2–2 1/2 minutes until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Check and stir, if needed, every 30 seconds.

Remove bowl and whisk in the sugars. Next, whisk in the eggs, mixing until just blended. Whisk in the flour, vanilla, and salt, then fold in the walnuts. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour the brownie batter into the pan and bake for 40–45 minutes. They're done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for at least one hour—if you can wait that long. When cool enough to handle, lift the foil and brownies out of the pan, remove foil, and cut brownies into squares. This recipe should make at least a dozen brownies, depending on hour large you cut them.

Use these basic brownies as a starting point for your own creations. Other nuts like pecans or hazelnuts, dried fruit like cherries or cranberries, mini marshmallows, and butterscotch chips all make great additions. Go wild! You might have to vary the cooking time, depending on what you decide to mix in. If you come up with a combinations that's especially spectacular, let us know!