Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Valentine's Day, February 14 is a great day for chocolate. This year, treat yourself and your loved ones to my tried and true, perfect brownie recipe. These are rich, indulgent, super fudgy, and very versatile. Easy to throw together, and a real crowd-pleaser. It’s truly the only brownie recipe you’ll ever need.

 Brownies

yield: 1 half sheet pan (20-25 big brownies)

1.25# Unsalted Butter
1# Dark Chocolate Chunks/Chips
10 Eggs
1# 6oz Sugar
1.5T Vanilla
12.5oz AP Flour
2.5oz Cocoa Powder
1.5t Baking Powder
1.5t Kosher Salt
*Toppings of choice (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line one half sheet pan with parchment paper, then spray with nonstick spray

2) Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a medium pot over low heat, stirring regularly to ensure that the chocolate does not burn, then pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl

3) Whisk in eggs one at a time, then add the sugar and vanilla, whisking until smooth

4) Sift together the dry ingredients, then fold in. I do this by hand using a spatula, but you could use your mixer on low speed, mixing just until the batter comes together

5) Pour the thick silky batter into the prepared pan, then swirl/sprinkle toppings as desired (see below).

6) Bake for about 35 minutes, or until no longer jiggly and wet-looking. Do note that the brownies will firm up as they cool

7) Cool to room temperature, then place in the freezer for at least a couple of hours (this is optional, but ensures clean beautiful edges)

8) Use a large knife to trim 1/4” from the edges so that all brownies are the same, reserving edges for snacking, of course (this is optional), then score the brownies using a ruler and a pizza wheel before cutting. You could also just eyeball it. I’ll often cut each square into 4 little triangles to create lovely bite-sizes morsels.

9) These are best stored in the fridge. Wrapped well, they will last for many months in the freezer.

*The batch in the above photo was topped with chopped dark chocolate and sea salt. Another option would be a swirl of peanut butter, dulce de leche, or salted caramel, or sprinkle with shredded coconut and sliced almonds, or plop some dollops of raspberry jam and sprinkle with white chocolate chunks. How about crispy bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup? Try adding some orange zest to the sugar, or some espresso powder to the dry ingredients. Get creative! Or simply bake them as-is. There are no rules. Just follow your heart.

**Divide the batter between two half sheet pans for brownies that are half the thickness (and reduce the baking time a bit) and these are perfect for homemade ice cream sandwiches, as they will still be a little bit soft even right out of the freezer. Photo below.

Enjoy!