I haven't been baking for a long while. Something to do with my lacking egg beaters and self-control. But today, cast down by cabin fever, I decided to break out my whisk and make some brownies. My arm is sore now.

Here is an ode to my love of brownies, and friends in far away places with whom I'd quite like to sit down to some fika and a piece of pastry.

I think I just teared up a little. ... anyone...hello?...

...Anyway, this is how you make them. These are a cake brownie. I do not like fudge brownies. Not a fan.


The beauty of my brownie recipe is that it is very kind to substitutions and holds itself together when you go all crazy on its ass and add random delicious things to the batter.

Ingredients.

• 125g butter
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Instructions.

• Beat eggs, sugar, and butter. Whisk whisk whisk.
• Add baking powder, salt, sifted flour, cocoa. Beat beat beat.
• Finally, add vanilla and nuts. Stir stir stir.
• Firm is good. Runny is bad.
• Spoon mixture into a greased tray. Bake bake bake at 180 for 15 minutes.
• Cool in tray. Eat crispy edges.

You know how I said the recipe is very forgiving. It's true. Today, I hadn't any baking powder, nor any nuts. Instead, I used a bit of self-raising in with the plain, and white chocolate instead of nuts. You just have to go with the flow. And don't forget the salt. Very important in baked goods.

The recipe was originally off the side of some cocoa box, who can remember these things. My mum still has the little piece of cardboard that she cut off the box. The original was obviously written before the advent of the moist brownie, because it says to bake for 30-35 minutes. Just trust me when I say, do not do that. It turns out badly.

Also, you can make it in any size tin, just adjust the baking time to the thickness of the batter. I like mine on the thinner side because it gives a good crispy-edge-to-cakey-inner ration. And when the brownies are thinner, you can eat more. It's the rules.



The rules, I tell you...