Best Cocoa Brownie

I know I know , its been such a long time since I posted something .I was not even sure if I would ever come back to blogging until I meet fellow bloggers Madhs, Suma and Geetha .. Oh god what to say , they are so enthusiastic, energetic and passionate about what they do. If you are there with them for a minute , you just cant seem to be lazing around ..
So after meeting with Vibrant ladies ,  I am all set to be back , I am not sure if I can be frequent but definitely will try to be active ..Since only we two of us , I cook, bake and whatever only for Hari and for his taste .Oh yeah I must say he has got a pretty bad tongue to say only OK to almost everything I make  .. You at times feel lucky to have a husband who knows cooking but its actually the other way round .
Hari is a chocoholic , that doesnt mean he eats anything that is chocolatey ... He can have it only if it is RICH Chocolatey .. be it a cake or brownie and he likes ONLY chocolate flavor .anything other than rich chocolatey doesnt count as special .So decided to make a brownie for his Birthday .
Thankfully this Brownie turned out to be super perfect . It exactly satisfied Hari's tongue , was very easy for me to make as well and most of all you can make this with the ingredients in your hand .. I have tried a couple of times Tarla dalal's eggless brownie with Dark chocolate .though I liked the taste it always seems to be too greasy . Thats one of the richest brownies tastewise..so wanted to make something similar and with cocoa powder.. I came across best cocoa brownies at smittenkitchen and knew for sure this is what i was looking for .. It is indeed so rich and fudgy ..

I tweaked the recipe to make it even more easier .here it goes ..

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter( I used salted butter and skipped salt)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar ( I used powdered sugar)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)(I used cadburys cocoa)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Method 

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. (I used Microwave convection mode , so just used the rack given for baking) Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite side

 Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl in microwave for a minute and then combine the sugar, cocoa and salt and mix it nicely and again microwave for a minute .Now the mixture will be really smooth . Even if it is not smooth , its fine go ahead ..

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.I baked exactly for 25 mins and let it cool completely for about 6 hours . 

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Yumma max .. You can have the brownie as it is or can make it more sinful by adding a scoop of vanilla icecream and drizzling some chocolate sauce ..