Mission: Complete

Most people spend their lives searching for the perfect soul mate, the perfect vacation location, or even the perfect tan. But my pursuit is so much more significant, and even more satisfying. What is it, you might ask? The perfect brownie.  

 

Rich, fudgy, and intensely chocolatey, there is absolutely nothing better than a brownie. You can keep your fancy crème brûlées, éclairs, and tiramisus. I’m sticking with my simple yet satisfying baked chocolate treat.

 

Unfortunately, most restaurants and bakeries ruin their brownies. My biggest brownie pet peeves?

Adding too much espresso to enhance the chocolate flavor. I asked for a brownie, not a chocolate mocha bar.

Overbaking the brownie so it turns dry and cakey. If I wanted chocolate cake, I would have ordered it.

Topping it off with a huge scoop of ice cream. When I can’t even see the (now soggy) brownie underneath the gargantuan snowball of ice cream, I’m not happy.

 

But when I pulled these—my own homemade, not store-bought, brownies—out of the oven, I instantly knew I had died and gone to heaven. Perfectly fudgy, irresistibly decadent, and extremely chocolately: my search was complete.

 

…So what am I going to do for the rest of my life?

 

 

The Perfect Brownies

veganized from CL’s Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

makes about 2 dozen

Do NOT overbake these! They’ll continue to bake slightly while they cool in the pan. They’re best eaten the day of, but be sure to let them cool entirely before slicing. Otherwise, the knife gets covered in chocolate fudge. (On the other hand, what’s so bad about that?)

5 tbsp margarine

1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

⅔ c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ c. granulated sugar

4½ tsp Ener-G egg replacer (or 3 egg whites & 1 egg)

6 tbsp water (omit if using eggs)

1 c. flour

½ tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly spray a 9”-square baking tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Melt margarine and baking chocolate in a medium pot over low heat, stirring constantly. Add cocoa powder and stir for 1 min. Add sugar and stir for another minute, or until all incorporated. Remove from heat and let the chocolate mixture cool slightly.
3. Whisk flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
4. Thoroughly whisk Ener-G and water together in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth out the top, and bake for 25-30 min. (The toothpick test won’t work; it’ll come out fudgy even when they’re done!) Cool completely on a wire rack.