My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

If there is ever one recipe that I have attachment issues with, it would be my brownies.

It was year 2002 or was it 2003? I can't quite remember now. All I can remember was I survived many moments with these brownies.

• Stack of assessments to complete at Uni. Brownies. 
• Tears over bad grade. Brownies.
• Stressed friends. Brownies
• Helping a friend to impress her boyfriend. Brownies
• A big thank you to a supervisor? Brownies
• Break up tears? Brownies
• I hate statistics. Brownies
• Marking assignments. Brownies
• Celebration in completion of thesis-s. Brownies
• Farewells at various internships. Brownies 
• Impress the potential (and now quite real!) extended family members of in laws. Brownies 

Brownies were actually one of the first most successful bakes I have ever done. Ask my hubby. He survived rock cakes (I mean rock!). We weren't even dating yet! What about floury cookies? Or raw ones? Oh I have done it all. My poor friends who survived through my years of disasters (and more to come). 

But somehow, as I grow tougher, more adventurous... I neglected my brownies. I say mine with a big possessiveness neon sign on it.  When a few colleagues took turns to bring their version of chocolate brownies, something in me stirred.

I HAD to make brownies.

Over my uni years (~8 years!!!), many late nights, allowed me to change and alter the recipe till it I can call mine finally. It's seriously my pride and joy. Even though it's a simple, everyone can do it dessert.... the smell of the mixture, the chocolate.. .. it brought me back to yester-years.

So finally, I decided to share with you my ultimate. It's my favourite of all favourites. It's dark, rich, slight crisp on outside and soft/fudgy on the inside. And perhaps then you could create more tomorrow, future years of memories. 

My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies 

1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup of Nestle Cocoa Powder 
1 cup of sugar
1.5 cups of chopped toasted pecans/walnuts
250 grams of Lindt dark 70% chocolate (Sometimes, I used a mixture of 60% or 70%. I even experimented with peppermint versions as well)
250 grams of butter melted
2-3 tsp of vanilla essence
4 eggs lightly beaten 

Preheat Oven to 180C. Line slice tin with baking paper.

Sift flour and cocoa. Toss sugar, nuts and broken pieces of dark chocolate in mixture. Make a well in the middle. Pour butter and fold gently. Slowly add in eggs and vanilla. Continue to fold. Then pour into tin, smooth surface and bake for 45-50 minutes. It will still be slightly soft inside-that's perfect! Cool. Chill for 2 hours or overnight before slicing.