Brownies and Ice Cream--YUM!

Warm brownies just out of the oven, topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup or hot fudge sauce. Yummmmm! It has got to be one of the simplest desserts to make, but at the same time, it is SO scrumptious!

Being that it’s summer vacation, we’ve got lots of teens over at our house (friends of my sons), and I’ve been trying to come up with some special treats to serve to them. The picture above is what I made today. We topped these brownies with cookies ‘n cream ice cream. We also like mocha, mint chip and peanut butter ice cream with brownies.

Over the years, I’ve tried dozens and dozens of different brownie recipes. My favorite in recent years has been the “Fudgy Brownies” recipe on page 156 of King Arthur Flour’s Cookie Companion cookbook. It’s fudgy and rich, but still has a cake texture. Next time you’ve got hungry guests to feed, or if you’ve just got a chocolate craving, I highly recommend this recipe.

Fudgy Brownies

¾ cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 T. vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips (I add 1 1/2—and these could be white chips, peanut butter chips, or cappuccino chips, instead of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips. Or, you could use a mix of both.)
Optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return bowl to microwave, about 30 seconds more. Heating the mixture a second time will dissolve the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on the brownies. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth. Then add the flour, chips and nuts, stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan. Bake the brownies for 29 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, or until only a very few crumbs cling to it. Cool brownies on rack about 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.

These are very moist brownies—as long as you don’t overcook them. You may be tempted to leave them in the oven for longer than 32 minutes, but don’t. That will dry out your brownies. As long as the edges of the brownies are set, the brownies are probably done—even if the center looks soft.

Happy brownie baking!
~Becky