Fudge Brownies (Quick, Simple and oh-so-good!)

Need dessert in a hurry? Better yet, want something chocolatey without too much fuss? Well here's a quick go to brownie recipe that's a family favourite. These brownies have a delicate crust on the top, with a fudgy, chocolatey center. They are delicious served up with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or enjoyed on their own (dusted with some powdered sugar) with a glass of chilled milk. This is the fix to any chocolate craving you may have. Here's how you make them...

Serving Size: Makes about 15 decent-sized brownie squares when cut up.

Equipment:

- A 9x13 rectangular oven-safe baking dish (I line mine up with Aluminium foil and leave a slight overhang with the foil. This makes it easy to just lift the cooked brownies out of the baking dish without any mess).

-A rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

-A sharp knife.

-Electric mixer. You van also mix this by hand. In which case, bring some patience and energy with you.

-Large mixing bowl.

-Medium mixing bowl.

Ingredients:

-4 large eggs at room temperature.

-1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips. If you don't have chocolate chips where you live, you can use  1 1/2 bars of good chocolate (something like Cadbury's chocolate for my Kenyan readers), cut up into little pieces.

-1 cup flavorless oil (I used canola).

-2 cups granulated sugar.

-1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour.

-1/2 cup unsweetened, 100% cocoa powder (do not use Dutch Processed cocoa powder or Special Dark cocoa powder for this recipe).

-1 teaspoon salt.

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

-1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (Nescafé instant espresso powder is a good choice for those in Kenya).

Instructions:

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celcius).

-In the large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla extract on medium soeed for about 1 minute or until the sugar is dissolved .

-In the medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

-Gradually add the mixed dry ingredients into the egg/oil mixture just until combined. Do not over mix or your will end up with a tough brownie. Use your rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix in any dry ingredients on the sides of the bowl.

-Fold in the chocolate chips into the batter.

-Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Smooth the surface of the batter with your spatula or wooden spoon.

-Bake for 30-35 minutes (I baked mine for exactly 30 minutes, but it all depends on how much heat your oven puts out). When done, the surface should be set and a toothpick or dry spaghetti stick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs (if it comes out dry, your brownies are overbaked).

-Allow the brownies to cool on a cooling rack while still in the baking dish (for 10-15 minutes).

-Lift the brownies out of the baking dish using the overhanging Aluminium foil . Gently pull the foil away from the sides of the brownies and cut up the brownies into desired size. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions:

You can give the brownie slices a light dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy them with a glass of cold mil, or you can serve them a la mode (with a scoop of ice-cream) with a light drizzle of hot fridge sauce. Mercy! These brownies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Good luck keeping them around that long!