Almost-Classic Brownies - easy and fudgy

A recipe in four suspense-filled acts

Bonjour! Bonjour!

The brownies were made, the coffee was hot, the scene was set for me to write you a love letter about these little sweets, when whoosh, along came a tangent and I went off on it. An hour later, I was still puzzling over whether a brownie was a cookie or a cake.

When I came to, I had the answer: Who cares? What’s important about a brownie holds no matter what you call it.

• A brownie is a generously satisfying sweet

• It’s a one-bowl wonder

• And the recipe is boundlessly play-aroundable (scroll down for the recipe and the twists)

• Oh, and it’s chocolate – a category of goodness all its own.

The simplest brownie recipes are minimally fussy and fun to watch – the mixture changes textures from step to step. Dramatically. If it were on Netflix, you’d search for it under “suspense” and bite your nails wondering if the batter will be saved. Spoiler Alert: There’s a happy ending.

Here’s the script:

Act 1: the butter and chocolate meet up. You put them together in a bowl fitted over a pan o…