fudgie pecan brownies

OMG! has it been since mid-october that i wrote a post? i am constantly amazed at how quickly time flies, i must have said this so many times already but it s the truth. and the older i get...

anyway, i have finally been able to purchase an SLR camera, the CANON EOS 1000D, a basic one, i m not a real photographer, so this model was ideal to start with. my little compact PENTAX E60 worked a treat, but i just like looking thru the lens instead of at an LCD screen.

so, i ve been practicing and will be posting some new pics soon, as well as recipes, of course, but i had a friend on FB who asked me to post the recipe for my favorite brownies, so here goes:

FUDGIE PECAN BROWNIES:

INGREDIENTS:

125 gr dark chocolate (i use Callebaut dessert chocolate), roughly chopped
125 gr unsalted butter, in cubes
160 gr dark brown sugar (it s just more treacly)
2 whole eggs
the seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (please don t use vanilla essence - it s just a vanilla-flavored alcohol)
75 gr plain flour
pinch of salt
150 gr pecan-nuts, roughly chopped
50 gr dark chocolate, roughly chopped

square baking tin: approx 20x20 cm

METHOD:

1. preheat the oven to 175-180°C
2. grease the baking tin with some butter
3. melt the chocolate and the butter au-bain-marie, until everything has melted evenly and leave to cool a little
4. beat the egss and the vanilla seeds
5. sift the flour and the salt
6. beat the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then mix in the flour, the nuts and the chocolate pieces
7. pour into the baking tin and bake for about 20 minutes, the sides will release a little from the tin, but the middle should just be cooked and still a little wobbly
8. leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares

ofcourse, you can leave out the nuts, up the chocolate pieces, or use different kinds of nuts... i like macadamias too

beware, these are very rich brownies, but i think a lot better than those made with cocoa powder, one goes a long long way.

OH, and it s still not too late to wish everybody a HAPPY NEW YEAR, is it? good health and good cooking!