Basic Brownies

Awhile ago, (more than a year!) I bought The Amish Cook's Baking Book but never tried a single recipe. It is a beautiful book inside and out. The Amish generally do not let photos of themselves be taken, but this book is filled with delicious looking baked goods, as well as the occasional photo of a woman's hands wrist deep in batter or dough. I find that refreshing because it directs the focus back on the food, unlike a lot of popular chef cook books that read more like an advertisement for themselves.

This book is also filled with small anecdotes of Amish life, as well as the fond memories of the author. Having such fond memories myself of growing up cooking and baking with my mom, this book really touches a deep place in my soul.

I was browsing a few cook books last evening, trying to find a recipe for something to bring into work as a little treat for a young woman who is leaving to have surgery and then pursue a teaching career. I settled on brownies out of this book. The brownies were scrumptious! I may or may not have had them for breakfast this morning. ;) Since everyone was delighted by these brownies, I thought I might share them with you.

Basic Brownies

- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour - 2 cups sugar - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1 cup vegetable oil - 4 large eggs Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. (I used butter.) In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. (I stirred together the wet and dry separately, then added the wet to the dry.) Stir vigorously for about 3 minutes, until the batter is well blended and creamy. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Ideally, I'd like to use a different fat than vegetable oil for reasons very well outlined in this article, but for a recipe I was sharing with many other people, and my string of bad homemade brownie recipes in the past, I stuck with the original ingredients. I do look forward to tweaking it a bit though!

Link to the The Amish Cook's Baking Book on Amazon.

Today I am grateful for the lovely birds that serenade our house and yard with their songs.

Until next time,