Rachael Ray's Best Basic Brownies

If you know me well at all, you know that I am a brownie freak. I love brownies to a degree that is just insane--only fudgelike brownies, though. I really don't get cakelike brownies. If you want something cakelike, eat cake...with lots of frosting. But if you want a little taste of heaven, make gooey, fudgy brownies (and then eat half the pan before they cool).

I have tons of incredible brownie recipes. (Ask Don Foster if you don't believe me. He's the only man I've ever met who loves chocolate as much as I do. Clint Stalker is his closest competition, but Don has him way beat. Only Don Foster could eat a pound of chocolate walnut espresso tiles while waiting for the UMW bazaar dinner to begin, and then come back for more. It makes me feel loved.) Most of my favorite brownie recipes, however, require fancy chocolate (which I don't always have on hand and can't buy in Satanta) or take a long time to make. (Like the one that's baked in hot water bath and then submerged in an ice water bath as soon as it's taken from the oven. The result is divine, but it's a lot of work.)

My new favorite brownie recipe for when you need chocolate and you need it now comes from Rachael Ray. Her Best Basic Brownie recipe is quick, easy, gooey, and delicious. It requires no fancy ingredients, and it's just plain good.

Here's the recipe (finally):

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 9 pan. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 sticks melted unsalted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk in three eggs, one at a time. Stir in one cup unsweetened cocoa powder and one cup flour. Transfer the batter to the baking pan and bake until just set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.