Double Chocolate Brownies

Where has June gone? I cannot believe this is the last weekend of June and summer is here! Lucky for me this month has been filled with a lot of yummy food. Today I will share with you a simple and easy to make brownie recipe that I put to the test earlier this month and it was a great hit with a large group.

You see, summer not only means warm weather, pool parties and barbecue’s, but it also means I get to volunteer in an interesting way! Last summer I found a local organization that enables people to volunteer as part of their culinary team. Tuesday through Saturday individuals have the opportunity to cook meals for staff and volunteers of the organization. Because I work full-time Monday thru Friday, the only day I am able to volunteer is on Saturday’s. The Saturday shift is only available from late Spring to late Summer. Anyway, a few weeks ago I volunteered as the kitchen support person, I’ll call it a “Sous Chef”. The lead aka “Executive Chef” made a baked pasta dish and salad, I was instructed to make dessert – can I call myself a “Pastry Chef” too?

In the past I have made cookies or baked a cake, this time I wanted to try something different so I ended up making brownies from scratch! For some reason baking brownies from scratch made me nervous. I do not know why. Unfortunately, I so used to making brownies from a box that the rations of cocoa powder and chocolate really made scared me.

Well, to my surprise it was super easy to make these brownies from scratch, yay for that! On this day we cooked lunch for 10 people so the pressure was on. When in doubt I refer my trusted friend, Pinterest! I found a simple recipe that I modified a bit to suit our needs, I doubled the recipe (most of the ingredients).

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1 cup of softened (unsalted) butter (two sticks)
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 cup of cocoa powder
  • 1 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking dish.
  2. In a large bowl mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth, then add the softened butter (make sure it is not hot. Cool it down).
  3. Then add the cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Combine well.
  4. When all ingredients are mixed well then fold in the chocolate chips.
  5. Next, pour the mixture onto the baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
  6. Once they’re done place the brownies on a cooling rack.
  7. After they cool down cut them into small pieces and serve.

Brownies from scratch 02

To my relief, the group LOVED them and many had a second serving. If you make this recipe, please let me know how they turned out. As always, warm brownies go well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – FYI.

Thank you so much for visiting C to C,

CAT