Award Winning Brownies

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1¼ cups sugar, plus 1 Tbs
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• ½ tsp Vanilla
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 Tbs additional chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
3. Melt chocolate and butter in a double-boiler. Cool for five minutes.
4. Place sugar in a medium mixing bowl and pour in the chocolate mixture. Use an electric mixer on medium, and mix until blended. Only about 25 seconds. Scrape with a rubber scraper.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. On medium-low speed, add eggs one at a time blending after each addition until yolk is broken and dispersed, about 10 seconds.
7. Scrape the bowl after the last egg, and blend until velvety, about 15 more seconds.
8. Add the flour on low speed, and mix for about 20 seconds.
9. Finish mixing by hand, being certain to mix in any flour at the bottom of the bowl.
10. Stir in the half cup of nuts.
11. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining 2 Tbs of nuts over the top.
12. Bake on center oven rack until a thin crust forms on top, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb, about 35 minutes.
13. Remove pan from oven and cool in pan on a rack for 1 hour before cutting.
14. Serve the next day. It takes a day for the flavor to set.