Graduation Brownies

When we moved here in 1994, Stephen was 2 years old. Last week, he graduated from Bountiful High, "Home of the Braves".

The kids at BHS are an amazing bunch. Each time we have a child graduate, I am filled with gratitude for the blessings we enjoy. For one - living in a community among people of different backgrounds and faiths with a common thread of love for families. Love these kids. Stephen's close friends are kids he has gone to school and church with since he was 2. They have been in scouting and earned their Eagle awards together. Hiked, fished, camped, sang in choirs, served others, played baseball, soccer, football and basketball together. We love all of their parents and they are among our closest friends. We take care of each other's kids and love and teach them like they are our own. Yeah, I know you are thinking, really? Yes, really. I couldn't ask for a better group of friends for my son.

It's a love fest.

Serious blessings.

Now I'm teary...and I am not a cryer.

Steve, Spence, Benny, Mikey, & K.O. at Seminary Graduation

My friend Laurie (aka Amazing Chocolate Cake Laurie ) made NINE, yes NINE jelly roll pans of brownies she named "Graduation Brownies". She was in charge of making treats at our Seminary graduation last week. My all time favorite brownie is Cooks Illustrated "Classic Brownie". Laurie took that recipe, combined it with one of her own favorites, and came up with "Graduation Brownies". Often, I have friends call and ask for a brownie recipe that can be baked in a standard (12x17x1 inch) half sheet or jelly roll pan. Up until now, I've always doubled a 9x13 recipe, but it was never just right. Laurie tweaked this recipe until it was perfect (wow, surprising)! Tried this recipe last weekend - it's a keeper. Absolutely delish. Every moist crumb disappeared.

a few of my faves: Spence, Dan, Benny, Steve, Kelon and Mikey

Oh, to all of my favorite 2010 graduates- Motherly advice I know you want :)

Remember who you are.

Work hard.

Pray.

Pray.

Pray.

Listen.

Be kind.

Don't forget to come back for cookies (and brownies).

Love you,

Si

Graduation Brownies

Laurie Cutler 2010

printable recipe

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray large cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) with Pam.

1/2 cup cocoa
4 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened baking chocolate
4 sticks butter
4 cups sugar
8 large eggs
1 T. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 ½ cups cake flour

Melt butter, baking chocolate and cocoa together in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs, two at a time and stir until well blended after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl and stir. Fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture in three additions. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool.

One pan makes 35 brownies.

Tips:

-Laurie tried the brownies both with cake flour and regular flour and didn't notice a significant difference.
-Laurie served these with ice cream and home made hot fudge. Perfect for the texture of this brownie.

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Miss Daisy's Chocolate Cake

A few weeks ago, after I posted Lemon Almond Poppyseed Cake, I am coming to the realization that people WANT easy, easy, easy. Did you notice I made a new category - Seriously Simple? You would not believe how many people sent emails, called or stopped me at church, the gym, school or grocery store to say how much they loved Lemon Almond Poppyseed cake. Hmmm. REALLY? Because, if Marge had not asked me to post it, I never would have. I mean, I love it, and it's a great cake, but I thought it was one of those recipes everyone has. Guess not.

Kind of like this one. I made this a few weeks ago, for a big family dinner so there would be a- slam dunk kid friendly dessert. At that gathering, we only had two other desserts planned. Being food freaks, we always try to have at least three desserts at every dinner. Sick, I know.

Oh, the recipe. I made this cake and a few days later Brookie and Corrine asked me for the recipe. So, usually I make it in a jelly roll pan ( 12 x17, inside measurement). And it feeds a crowd. But my favorite way is to make it in a 9x13 pan, bc I like my cake to be a bit thicker. I've been making this recipe or a variation of it for at least 25, maybe closer to 30 years, it's always a pleaser. And it's simple. You can mix it all up in one pan, cook and frost it in 40-45 minutes. You don't even have to wait for it to cool to frost it.

This particular version comes from the book Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee, which I purchased on a trip with Grant, Brett, Di and Sheri to Nashville in 2002. Love that place. Watched Sara Evans perform in the Grand Ole Opry. Stayed in the Opryland Hotel (where I ate some Almond Joy cake that was about half a foot tall, still dream about it). Met up with some of our fave people in the world, Will and Mary Primos. Went to the CM Hall of Fame. Toured some beautiful plantations. Ate a lot. Shocking, I know. Every meal was sauced, gravied and/or fried. Ate until I was sick.

My kind of vaca.

Miss Daisy's Chocolate Cake

print recipe

1/2 pound butter melted

4 tablespoons cocoa, unsweetened

1 cup water *

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa and whisk until smooth. Add water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and sift the flour into the saucepan with the butter mixture. Add the sugar, soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour batter into prepared 9x13 pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare frosting.

Frosting:

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted

4 tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons buttermilk

1 box or about 4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

After making cake batter, rinse saucepan. Melt butter, cocoa and buttermilk in pan. Bring to boil. Add sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Pour over warm cake. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

*I used 3/4 cup water

Tips:

-This cake has many variations:

1. If you want to cut the amount of fat, without losing flavor, substitute 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil for one of the cubes of butter in the cake batter.

2. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter

3. If you don't have buttermilk, sour cream works.

4. Oven temps from 350 to 400 work. Adjust the amount of baking time.

5. Using milk in the frosting instead of buttermilk works. Any type of milk is fine. For the cake, don't sub plain milk for the buttermilk. Use a buttermilk substitute if you don't have any buttermilk.

6. Most recipes for this cake include using chopped nuts and mixing the nuts right into the frosting while mixing. Personally, I don't like this method/presentation. Whenever we see a cake with the nuts mixed right into the frosting, Grant asks me "who ate this before us?"

I think it's more appetizing to sprinkle the chopped nuts on top of the cake. :)

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Oreo Brownies and Cookbook Giveaway!

Remember the Cranberry Salsa I made back in December? Loved that recipe. It came from this cute book-

I purchased "Bliss" last month, and found this recipe for Oreo Brownies. Since Oreos are my fave store bought cookie, and I love brownies, I had to give this recipe a try. They were quick to put together and a real kid pleaser. More like a bar cookie than a brownie, similar to Nordy Bars. Great for an easy semi-home made treat.

The cookbook: I loved the clean look of this book. Love that's it's a local author (Utah) and thought A Bountiful Kitchen readers would love it too. Great cookbook to add to your collection!

To Enter/Win (the power of pos thinking, right?)

1. Leave a comment sharing what you love most about SPRING. It's almost here! One entry per person.

2. If you post a link to this giveaway on your blog, three entries for you.

3. Please leave each of your comments separately.

4. You have until Wednesday March 17th at midnight to enter.

Winner selected by The Random Counter and announced on Thursday March 18th.

Oreo Brownies

1 package Oreo cookies, chopped

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup chocolate chips, milk or dark
1 cup vanilla or white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Line an 9 x 13 pan with foil, leaving an overhang of foil around the edges. Lightly grease the pan.

In a large bowl, mix the chopped cookies with the butter. Pour half the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the chips, marshmallows, and nuts. Top with the remaining cookie mixture. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool to room temperature and lift the bars from the pan. Peel back the foil and cut into serving pieces.

Tips:

-I omitted the nuts, partly bc I thought most kids don't love nuts, and partly bc I thought nuts with this combo didn't sound good.
-I used closer to 1 1/2 cups each of choc chips and white chips, and used closer to 2 cups marshmallows total.
-Also, think I would like this better cooked in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan, the brownies were a little on the thin side for me.

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Williams Sonoma Triple Chocolate Brownies

I know, you are probably thinking- really ANOTHER brownie recipe? I thought I'd share this one with you because it's such a great recipe for mailing to a loved one (service men and women, missionaries, students, etc). If you have ever tried to mail cookies (especially out of the country), no matter what you do, they never seem to make it all in one piece. Or if they do, they are just not quite as good as when they're first made. I sent these to Brookie when she was in China, and she could not believe how fresh they were upon arrival 10 days after they were sent from the US of A. Here's the skinny...

These are super chocolaty, dense brownies. Follow the recipe and do not over bake. This is the first key to keeping the treat fresh tasting. Make sure to line the pan with foil and grease the foil before spooning batter into the pan. When the brownies are out of the oven, let cool, and remove from pan (by lifting foil out of pan) in one piece, cut brownies, and wrap the whole slab in foil and then slide into a gallon sized Ziploc bag.

Squeeze out all of the excess air. Place in freezer, and freeze overnight. When ready to mail, place in package with other items, on bottom of package if possible, with other items stacked on top, so brownies remain flat and in one slab in box. Mail the same day.

What better Valentines gift than a box from home filled with home made brownies?? Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this.

Williams Sonoma Triple Chocolate Brownies

print recipe

Ingredients:
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 eggs beaten, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
2/3 cup nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 325°F. Line an 8 inch square pan with foil, grease foil.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. Do not over mix. Stir in the white and milk chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 25-35 minutes. Do not over bake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into squares.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

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Black Bottom Brownies and GIVEAWAY

First. If you love cream cheese brownies and have a New Years resolution to stay away from really sinful desserts, exit this page. Now.

If not, and you want to enter A Bountiful Kitchen's first giveaway of the year, stick around.

I dropped a plate of these brownies off to a darling group of 16-18 year old girls this week. The feedback - well, let's just say, the plate came back empty. This recipe came from the "Sweet Melissa Baking book". Everything I have tried out of this book has been a winner. The last recipe I made and loved: Butterscotch Cashew Bars. Melissa Murphy is the owner/chef of the Sweet Melissa Patisseries in Brooklyn, NY.

Black Bottom Brownies are not for lily livered chocolate/cream cheese lovers. This is quite possibly the most dense cream cheese brownie I have ever eaten. Since I am not a huge cream cheese dessert fan, I always like to top anything cream cheese with frosting. So here is the run down: thick, dense brownie layer (includes 6 eggs and 1/2 lb butter), topped with a pound of cream cheese, 6 MORE eggs (yes, 12 eggs total), and two cups of chocolate chips. Add a layer of chocolate frosting.

Hello. Bring on the Lipator.

Giveaway time! Leave a comment. Tell us: What is your hope for 2010?

One entry per person. Three entries if you become a follower or if you are already a follower. Wow, finally a reward for being a follower! Don't worry I won't tell your mother. Please place the entries separately. The Random Counter will choose a winner at the end of the day on Saturday, January 16th.

Oh - the prize? Your very own copy of "The Sweet Melissa Baking Book".

Good Luck!

Black Bottom Brownies

adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

For the brownie bottom:
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla

Cheesecake layer:

1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Position a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9×13-inch pan. Line the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Brownies:

In the top of a double boiler over simmering, not boiling water, melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool to warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and combine with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate/egg mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.

Cheesecake layer:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together cream cheese, sugar, and the salt until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, mix well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir in vanilla. In separate bowl, toss chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold chocolate chips into cream cheese mixture.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the brownie layer. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. The brownie layer will be set, but will still stick to a knife when inserted into center of brownies. Do not over bake. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely. (If you want to speed up this process, place in freezer for about 1/2 to 1 hour after cooled a while on the counter.

Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3-4 cups powdered sugar

dash salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup milk

Cream butter, add cocoa and powdered sugar. Add salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth, adding milk until desired consistency. Add more powdered sugar if too thin, a little more milk if too thick. Spread on top of brownies when completely cooled.

Top with chocolate frosting if desired. May be served cold or at room temperature.

Tips:

-This recipe makes a full 9x13 pan. It is hard to see in the pics, but the brownies raise to almost the top of the pan.

-The recipe says to cut the brownies into 12 pieces. hmmm. You would have to be a complete GLUTTON to want to eat 1/12th of this pan of brownies by yourself.

I think about 20-24 brownies per pan.

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Pinch of Salt Lake Mint Brownies

My cute friend Erin had a beautiful baby a while ago, and I promised her some mint brownies in exchange for the baby. At least I thought that was the deal. You know I don't love mint, but I did try one, before I delivered the goods and I must say even to me, a mint basher, they were delicious. I go light on the mint, so there is just a hint of mint in the filling. If you are into cutesy, you could make these for a baby shower and color the mint filling either green or pink (gag) . I'm not into food coloring either. For some unknown reason, I really hate it when mint flavored food items are colored green, or when Key Lime Pie is colored green. Hello, people, that does not make the food more appetizing. Don't you love it when someone addresses you as "people". Takes me back to jr. high. Another one of my favorites.

Right up there with mint.

Pinch of Salt Lake Mint Brownies
print recipe

Brownies:

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

4-1 oz squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mint filling:

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons evaporated milk, (half and half or cream works too)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract

few drops of pink or green food coloring, if desired

Glaze topping:

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs until well blended; then add melted chocolate. Sift flour, measure out 2 1/2 cups and sift again with dry ingredients then add to creamed mixture along with vanilla. Spread in greased and floured 9x13 pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Do not over bake. Set aside and let cool.

Mix all frosting ingredients until creamy and spread on brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Combine butter and chocolate chips in top of double boiler; add vanilla and blend thoroughly. Pour gently over frosting and spread by tipping pan until all of the brownie mixture is covered with glaze. Refrigerate until set.

Tips:

-I left out the 1 cup of nuts in this recipe, because if there is anything more weird than green food coloring in the mint filling, it's nuts in mint brownies. For some reason mint and nuts just don't go together in my world. So- 2 1/2 cups of flour may seem like a lot, but due to the absence of the nuts, I left in the full amount of flour. Remember- don't over bake.

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Triple Chocolate Brownie Sundaes

Twenty seven years ago today, Grant and I were married. Seven years of school, 8 addresses, 18 cars, 4 kids, 1 dog and a few fish later, here we are. Living the dream.We were so, so young when we got married. I was 19, two years out of high school, Grant was 22. We loved each other, and didn't know a whole lot about life or how to make a marriage work. Wasn't being in love enough? Why did everyone say marriage was SO HARD? We decided to take a chance, say a lot of prayers and be committed to our little family. We learned a lot about giving more than we took from each other, about forgiving and being kind. We learned from mistakes and treated each other the way we wanted to be treated. We learned about laughing at ourselves and each other. A lot of blessings and a little luck. We learned how to say sorry, and mean it. A great man, Neal Maxwell gave us some advice that has proven to be golden. He said "you have entered into marriage with your eyes wide open, now close them a bit to each others imperfections. "

Like the white tux and shoes? So 80's.

We were blessed to be great friends first, have the same core values, and learned to make compromises. I've learned that it is really important to be at a game about 1- 2 hours before tip off, kick off, or the first pitch. Not important to me, but to Grant. Bow hunting is a big deal in our house. August is not a good month to vacation. That's the bow hunt opener. Washing the hunting clothing in solutions of baking soda and special wood scented drying sheets (aka "scent elimination"- bow hunter lingo), doe in heat spray, also important. Gluing carpet pieces on the bottoms of shoes, so the animals won't hear you when you are stalking them, important. Grant knows eating out entails driving around for about an hour before we decide where to eat, then waiting in the car for me, while I go check out the scene inside the restaurant, then being willing to get up and leave if the menu doesn't look good, or if I get a bad feeling once we're seated. Not a bad feeling like a spiritually bad feeling - a foodie bad feeling. Tromping around at Christmas tree farms, or tree lots for a long time before choosing a tree is also a big deal. Pulling out several trees and examining before purchasing, standing next to certain trees in 15 degree weather to stake out a claim is also necessary while I check the lot or farm "one more time", for the 10th time. Planning vaca's around where we will eat, yes, a necessity. So, we both have our little (or big) idiosyncrasies. We both love what Gordon B. Hinkley said about marriage:

"True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious

concern for the well-being of one's companion."

What to give to the guy who has everything for your 27th anniversary? How to adequately express love to the one who loves you and all of your warts (figuratively). Uhhh. This is a G rated blog...The G rated answer is - Cooking! Yes. Grant LOVES ice cream. He loves hot fudge on ice cream. So I made a batch of my favorite brownies ( I had to have something I loved too) and some home made hot fudge. It's a Ben and Jerry's recipe. The best hot fudge sauce I have ever made. I know you are thinking, you made brownies for Grant because you love them? Yes, but here's the unselfish part (remember, the "anxious concern for his well-being"). I bought chocolate - Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream for this dish. If it was just up to me, it would have been a little vanilla ice cream, with a big brownie and a little hot fudge. But Grant loves all chocolate. If you have a chocolate lover in your home, they'll love this. Thanks Grantly, for being you, and for loving me. Happy Anniversary.

Ben and Jerry's Hot Fudge Sauce

Ben and Jerry's cookbook

print recipe

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt the chocolate and butter stirring frequently in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Add the cocoa and whisk until dissolved.

Using a large spoon, gradually stir in the sugar. The mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Cook, stirring occasionally over simmering water for about 20 minutes. Check the water level in the double boiler if necessary, replenish if needed.

Gradually stir in the milk and cream and keep stirring until completely blended. Use whisk to get any lumps out. Continue cooking over low heat for about 1 hour. The fudge is ready when completely smooth and all of the sugar is dissolved. Store any leftovers in refrigerator.

Cook's Illustrated Classic Brownies

print recipe

1 cup (4 oz) pecans or walnuts chopped
1 ¼ cup cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped *(their recipe calls for 6 oz)
12 Tablespoons butter
2 ¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Line the inside of a 9x13 pan with foil. Push in to corners and up sides of pan, fold any excess over the outside of pan. Spray with Pam.
If using nuts, spread on baking sheet and bake 5-8 minutes.
Whisk to combine flour, salt and baking powder in bowl.
Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl, or in double boiler. I use my gas range on the lowest setting. Remove from heat when butter and chocolate are melted. Gradually whisk in sugar. Let cool a bit. Add eggs, one at a time. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions. Fold in. Make sure not to over mix.
Transfer mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle nuts on top. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. 25-35 minutes. When cooled, lift brownies out of pan by foil. Flatten out overhang foil and cut.


Tips:

-Cooks magazine did a whole write up on making the perfect brownie in March/ April 2004. They analyzed everything that goes in to making the perfect brownie-from the type of flour (cake flour yields a softer texture), to the baking of the nuts, and placing them on top, instead of inside the batter, to insure the nuts were still crunchy, and not soggy. This is one of my all time favorite brownie recipes.

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Brownie Cupcakes

Do you ever get a brownie craving? I do. Often. They usually come late at night. When I don't feel like baking, or after every place that would sell a respectable bakery brownie is closed. I'll express my feelings to Grant. I'll tell him how much I need a brownie. He will say - "I'll go get one for you". After many, many years of being married, he KNOWS I won't send him to Albertsons for a brownie, so he's safe offering at ELEVEN PM. When I want a good home made brownie, nothing else will do. Not a boxed brownie. I want one of Sheri's really dense brownies, or a legendary (in our neighborhood) Carol Merrill brownie (actually I love the frosting even more than the brownie!), or a Barefoot Contessa "Outrageous " brownie, or a Cooks Illustrated Classic Brownie.... So a few nights ago, I found this recipe and thought - my troubles are over. I can make a batch of these, wrap and freeze each cupcake, and have them for emergencies. Kind of a Brownie 911. Crisis averted.

Oh and btw- these brownies are really, really delish. Fudgy, chewy and chocolaty. I LOVED the frosting* too. The piping isn't necessary, but it looked fun, so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Brownie Cupcakes

Brownie:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/3 to 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Line 10-12 muffin cups with paper or foil baking cups.

Melt the chocolate and butter in double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove and let cool for a few minutes. Mix in sugar a little at a time, until all sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the flour and salt just until blended. Don't over mix*.

Evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE*. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula, or if piping, use a medium to large closed star tip to make little rosebuds.

Chocolate Frosting:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Beat the butter in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat until all ingredients are incorporated. Increase speed on mixer and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 minutes).

Recipe from the JoyofBaking.com

Tips:

-If you don't have a double boiler, you can either: Melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel or other heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Or, use the microwave. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate. Heat for about 30 seconds at a time, then stir.

-I made 12 cupcakes in a standard size muffin tin. After removing from the oven, they sank a bit in the middle. If you baked longer, they wouldn't sink as much, but the cupcake would be dry. I just filled in the indentation with a little frosting.

-**Two of the most common mistakes in making brownies are to over mix (once the flour is added) and to over bake.

-*The third most common mistake/sin: Canned Frosting. Don't go there.

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