i’ve taken a bit of a break from the make { and } take kitchen.  my weekends have been packed, work has been nuts { and } i’m still coming off the overload of holiday baking.  some exciting news, though – i adopted a cat last week!  her name is frenchie, she’s about a year old { and } i adore her.  while frenchie is adjusting well to my place, i was worried about how she would do with the baking.  when baking for the blog, it’s time-consuming { and } spread out.  frenchie did really well, though.  she was curious about the eggs { as you’ll see below }, but other than that – not interested.  what a relief that was.   

now, back to the baking…i’m fully aware that i am a baking snob of sorts.  mostly in the sense that i don’t like to make plain recipes.  i think it’s mostly because when i make something, i want it to be  r e a l l y  good, not just another baked good.  there is something to be said for the classics, though { and } it happens almost every time – i ask for suggestions { and } i get basics: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, snickerdoodles, oatmeal cookies, etc.  i’m not a fan of brownies typically, but these were tasty.  in a classic, old-fashioned, dare i say it – b a s i c  brownie.  i added my own twist with the extra salt { and } chocolate chips, the outcome was delicious.  i am hooked on the bon appetit desserts cookbook, it’s so nice to have such a variety of really solid, reliable recipes in one place.  i look forward to making many, many more recipes from it to share.   

you need a good baking chocolate for the base.

the newest addition to the make { and } take kitchen.  believe it or not – this was the only time throughout the brownies that she was even remotely interested in what i was doing. 

classic brownies.

ingredients:

• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup { 1 stick } unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°f.  spray a 13 x 9 x 2 pan with parchment paper with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper { allow about 1 inch overhang }, spray parchment paper. 
2. in a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter { and } chocolate, stirring constantly.  transfer mixture to bowl of stand mixer { and } allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. add sugar { and } vanilla to chocolate mixture, using the whisk attachment – mix together until thoroughly combined.
4. scrape down bowl, add eggs { and } salt, mix until batter is lightened in color, 2-3 minutes.
5. stir in flour by hand until just combined.  stir in chocolate chips.
6. spread mixture into prepared pan { and } bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.  cool in pan on wire rack 30 minutes.