« Tomatillo Salsa Verde | Recipe Home | Grandma's Sunshine Salad »

Suzanne's Best Brownies

Posted by Elise on May 8, 2005

Print Options

If one is going to take the trouble to make chocolate brownies, and incur the wrath of the Fat-god for eating them, one may as well make them right. Brownies from a box? No thank you. This is my dear friend Suzanne's recipe, which she originally got from Epicurious and modified to use almond extract in place of the vanilla (the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of vanilla). They are the kind of brownie that can't make up their mind whether they would rather be cake or fudge. The almond extract gives these brownies a wonderful flavor, a perfect blend with the cocoa and pecans.

Suzanne's Best Brownies Recipe

Print Options

Ingredients

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup pecan pieces

Method

1 Preheat oven to 325°F with rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to make it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan when they are done.

2 Combine the butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir the butter cocoa mixture from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

3 Using a wooden spoon, stir in the almond extract. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly after each one. When the batter looks shiny, thick, and well mixed, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon. Stir in the pecans. Spread the batter evenly in the lined pan.

4 Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out just slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the foil or parchment paper liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Indexed: Brownies, Chocolate

25 Comments

I just bought brownie mix yesterday, which I NEVER do. Must be lazy-end-of-semester-blues setting in. Do you (or any of your readers) know what the recipe for Starbuck's Daybreak cookies is? I've been searching for it online and can't find it. I just LOVE that cookie!

Posted by: Victoria Winters on May 9, 2005 6:25 AM

I made these last night and they are FABULOUS!! I added mint and vanilla instead of almond (I ran out) and it was pretty good. Next time I'll try the almond.

Posted by: Colleen on May 10, 2005 10:03 AM

I made these but I had to substitute a lot of things and this is what I did:

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cunched till powder oreo cookies with the cream taken out
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

They were soo good!!!!! Try them just follow the rest of the directions and substitute that stuff then email me.

Posted by: katie on October 11, 2005 9:11 AM

I actually printed the recipe about a month ago and refused to make them because they looked so good in the picture that I knew I would eat too much. But my daughter has been asking me to make brownies for her birthday party so I decided to do a test run. I made these yesterday and only have 2 pieces left which goes to show how good they are.

Posted by: Lander on January 30, 2006 4:45 AM

I loved the texture of these brownies but they turned out way too sweet for me and not nearly chocolately enough. Any ideas on how to modify the recipe for a stronger chocolate taste without sacrificing the texture?

Posted by: obsoletepostergrrrl on March 17, 2006 3:09 PM

I've been making these since I first found the recipe on Epicurious a few years ago. Soooo good, and easily adaptable. I sometimes use a bit less sugar or butter and it turns out fine.
However, the quality of the cocoa makes a huge difference. Hershey's cocoa is OK, but the brownies are ever so much better w/ Guittard or Scharfen Berger. Didn't like the Hershey's Swiss--much too dark, w/ a weird aftertaste. In addition to the almond extract, I throw in some cherries (either dried or canned/drained.) Almost like a flourless cake.

Posted by: susan on April 6, 2006 5:52 PM

I just baked this, and they were really delicious. My little brother and his friend (I'm 17, btw) gobbled them up! Very chocolatey! I put brazilnuts instead of pecan, and it worked brilliantly! :) Great!

Posted by: Anna on November 18, 2006 7:36 PM

I just made these brownies, and they are quite good. Instead of using a bowl with simmering water, I microwaved the mixture and stirred it every 20 seconds or so. Also, I used vanilla extract, and because I had no pecans, I decided to use chocolate chips. The chocolate ended up melting in the warm batter making them even MORE chocolatey, but they still were delicious!

Posted by: Ryan on January 22, 2007 1:49 PM

I made theses brownies for my daughter who LOVES brownies. I tasted the batter, and thought it may have been not sweet enough, so I also decided to add some Hershey's milk chocolate chips, and OOOOOOHHHHHHHH my goodness! These are wayyyyy to addictive!!!!

Posted by: Cari Hill on February 27, 2007 1:56 PM

Umm..why no baking powder?

Posted by: Meenah on October 2, 2007 5:16 AM

Hello Meenah - in this recipe the eggs are used for leavening.

Posted by: Elise on October 2, 2007 8:31 AM

Elise, these brownies are soooo good and surprisingly easy to make! I used vanilla (didn't have almond extract on hand) and added a dash of cinnamon because yum--chocolate and cinnamon! As usual, thank you for another outstanding recipe!

Posted by: Just a Plane Ride Away on November 9, 2007 6:02 AM

Mine came out tasting almost overwhelmingly of almond extract and just a tad too sweet. I know I measured correctly...was I the only one with this problem? Any input?

Posted by: Jennifer on February 20, 2008 7:04 AM

Oh, man. These are the best brownies I have EVER tasted. They are just the perfect consistency--dense and very, very moist. They are extremely chocolatey, but not at all bitter. I love that they aren't too sweet, either. The flavors are nicely balanced. Altogether, it's a bit like fudge. I, too, melted the first ingredients in the microwave. All in all, this was a very easy to make recipe. But I have to say, the cherry on top, so to speak, is the almond extract. What an unexpected and wonderful extra flavor! I am afraid to make these again, because I polished off the pan in a very short amount of time.. Pretty much by myself. :(

Posted by: Purvis on June 21, 2008 5:38 PM

Yes! I had the very same feeling about the Almond extract! 2 tsp called for.... next time, 1/2 tsp Almond extract (Imitation only, local supermarket, is real Almond extract $$$ ?) I was rather overwhelmed with what should have been a hint of nut extract to compliment the pecans and walnuts, I used both. A 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract to round it out. ....maybe just a shot of Amaretto !! Of course...why did I pay....like $3.75 for fake Almond extract?

I also added Baker's unsweetened dark cubes, like 3. I'd add another egg, make it three, tended to crumble.

Posted by: redhedkev on February 2, 2009 8:02 PM

Great Recipe! I do have one question. Have you ever tried baking brownies in a muffin tin? Do you have to change the bake time?

I have not tried baking brownies in a muffin tin. I suspect that the baking time would be a little less. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out. ~Elise

Posted by: Matthew Wei on February 25, 2009 11:01 PM

Hi Elise,

I experimented with the bake time and the results and I have to say I found my new favorite way to bake brownies! It's really good if you are a fan of edge pieces. At 350 a the outside turns all chewy while the inside stays moist and gooey. Sort of a single serving pan brownie with everything all in one muffin sized portion. The time is shorter. A usual 45 minute bake (gooey, moist and dense in the middle) took about 20 minutes to achieve the same results in a muffin pan. Yum!

Love this idea, thanks for trying it out and reporting back! BTW, if you like edges, there's also the Baker's Edge Brownie Pan that several friends of mine use and love. ~Elise

Posted by: Matthew Wei on February 26, 2009 3:10 PM

I made these brownies last night for my graduation potluck and they were a huge hit. The entire pan is gone, and there were only six girls!
I made a ganache and spread it on top and made fresh whipped cream that I left fairly bitter in order to balance the richness of the brownies and ganache. Cut into inch by inch squares and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, the brownies lookedvery elegant, almost like a flourless chocolate cake. Next time I will add some fresh berries. I can't wait!

Posted by: Britt on May 19, 2009 7:23 AM

Thank you Elise for yet another wonderful recipe! These brownies taste rich and moist, and go perfectly with vanilla ice cream. I used slightly less than one cup of sugar, added 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and two pieces off a Ghiradelli bitter chocolate (non-sweet).

Posted by: Sarah on July 13, 2009 5:04 PM

I made this brownie today for dessert and everybody just love it! I'll make it again! Thank you, Elise!

Posted by: Tatti on July 15, 2009 3:12 PM

I made these brownies last night and they were awesome!! Thanks so much Elise! :-)

Posted by: Cynthia on October 10, 2009 3:00 PM

Very easy brownies and very tasty. I thought the almond extract was a bit strong (so did my husband), so I may try half almond half vanilla extract next time. I will make these again for sure! They baked perfectly as well, they were evenly cooked, the edges were no more baked than the center, so no burned corners in order to get the center right.

Posted by: Christina B on December 19, 2009 2:09 PM

Beautiful brownies! Was bemoaning lack of something chocolatey last night, so decided to make these. I've been looking for a half-decent brownie recipe for months now - all the ones I've made turned out too cakey and dry, not at all fudgey, melt-in-your-mouth delicious like these did. Made a few adjustments - didn't add any nuts, and substituted 1/2 tsp vanilla for the almond extract (not my favorite flavor). Also added a splash of half & half to make them a little less intense chocolatey (bf prefers "milk choc flavors" and it dilutes them just enough to register on his taste buds).

Anyway, THANK YOU! I thought I'd NEVER find what I was looking for...I

Posted by: Anya on January 22, 2010 6:07 AM

Great brownies! Very rich, fudgie and sweet.

Posted by: Angel Arnold on January 23, 2010 6:56 AM

Maaaan, this is the reason why I will never be a permanent vegan. I can go for a really long time without having butter and eggs, but then I remember that things like this exist and it's all over.

These are DELICIOUS. They're labor-intensive (now I understand why brownies in a box exist) but boy are they worth the trouble! Yum!

Posted by: GoneVeg on February 26, 2010 9:20 PM

Link to this recipe

Bookmark this page using the following link: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_best_brownies/

Do you have a website? You can place a link to this page by copying and pasting the code below.

<a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_best_brownies/">Suzanne's Best Brownies</a>

Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog

Suzanne's Best Brownies

Print Options

Suzanne's Best Brownies Recipe