Big City, Little Kitchen

Not long ago, the Times put out an article about the classic comfort dessert: brownies. I tried out the “Supernatural” recipe, and now that I’ve done some tinkering, I’m revisiting the subject. Having combined features of the “Supernatural” with those of the “New Classic,” and throwing in a few of my own ideas, here is, I feel, my favorite brownie yet (created by my own hands, anyway):

• 1 stick butter
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a piece of parchment paper, and press into a 13×9 pan.

In the microwave, on medium heat, melt the butter and chocolate, stopping to stir every 20 or 30 seconds. Once completely melted and combined, whisk in sugar, salt, and extracts. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, mixing well (for about one minute). Pour into pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

What I like about this recipe is that it contains just one stick of butter (as opposed to the standard two, or even three [!]), but retains a squishiness due, I think, to the moisture imparted by the brown sugar. Feel free to substitute rum extract for the almond; this is delicious as well.