Choco Nut Brownie

My first affair with brownie was ages ago. It was in a CCD that I ordered a Walnut Brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. And boy! I was bowled over. I would prefer a brownie any day over a slice of cake.

When Divya announced Brownie event, I had decided to participate in it. I had never attempted a Brownie at home till then. Hit Deeba's blog and settled with her Robert's Absolutely Best Brownies. The name of the brownie as well as the story behind it quite excited me. It is a one bowl recipe and needs a vigorous 1-minute stir which David Lebovitz has quoted as a life changing moment. I followed the recipe verbatim, but couldn't wait till the brownie cooled down to cut it. I just couldn't resist digging into it. I'm so glad I chose this coz this sure was the Absoultely Best brownie ever!!!

Makes 9 to 12 brownies
Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (I had only walnuts and almonds)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Line the inside of a 9-inch square pan with 2 lengths of foil, positioning the sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing the excess to extend beyond the edges of the pan, or with a single large sheet of extra wide foil or parchment paper. Lightly butter the foil or parchment.

3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chocolate and stir until it is melted and smooth.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. 5. Add the flour and stir energetically for 1 full minute—time yourself—until the batter loses its graininess, becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away a bit from the sides of the saucepan.

6. Stir in the chopped nuts.

7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the center feels almost set, about 30 minutes. Do not overbake.

8. Let the brownie cool completely in the pan—this is the difficult part—before lifting the foil or parchment and the block of brownie out of the pan. Cut the brownie into squares. {The brownies will keep well for up to 4 days and can be frozen for 1 month}