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

Prep Steps:

1: Bring butter and eggs to room temperature.
2: Chop all the walnuts.
3: Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.

Steps:

1: Preheat oven to 325°F.   
2: Melt chocolate and butter in a double-boiler. Cool for five minutes.   
3: 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.   
4: Add the vanilla.   
5: On medium-low speed, add eggs one at a time blending after each addition until yolk is broken and dispersed, about 10 seconds.   
6: Scrape the bowl after the last egg, and blend until velvety, about 15 more seconds.   
7: Add the flour on low spead, and mix for about 20 seconds.   
8: Finish mixing by hand, being certain to mix in any flour at the bottom of the bowl.   
9: Stir in the half cup of nuts.   
10: Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining 2 Tbs of nuts over the top.   
11: 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.   
12: Remove pan from oven and cool in pan on a rack for 1 hour before cutting.   
13: Serve the next day. It takes a day for the flavor to set.   

Comments:

From Judy Rosenberg, by way of Cyndi