How to end a difficult day.

Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet Brownies (from Cookies and Brownies * OOP)

6 tbs unsalted butter
3 oz bittersweet chocolate
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 325.

Butter a square 9″x9″ baking pan, and line up two sides with parchment paper.

In double broiler, melt chocolate and butter. As soon as chocolate and butter are melted, remove from pot from heat. Add sugar and stir well. Add vanilla and salt and stir well. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring. Add one cup flour and stir until incorporated. Add nuts; batter should start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until brownies *just* start to pull away from the edge of the pan.

Cool one hour.

If eating while warm, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is perfect.

* This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It’s relatively short, but every recipe I’ve tried is perfect. And judging by the Amazon website, I’m not the only one who feels this way.