Mmmmmm... brownies

You know how you have those old recipe books passed down from older relatives? My favourite is one published by Five Roses Flour in 1932, called "A Guide to Good Cooking". Though I'm not quite sure about some of the savoury dishes ( I can do without "Fluffy Turnip" and "Creamed Sweetbreads", thank you very much), the cookies and pastries are refreshingly simple and delicious. I especially like looking for the ones that have comments written in. Here is one that my grandma noted as "easy + good" - the absolute best brownie recipe I've ever come across. Not only is it dense, chewy and intensely chocolatey, it also has few ingredients and is unbelievably easy to make.

Chocolate Brownies

(also known as Fudge Squares)

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/2 cup butter, cut into smaller squares

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature, well beaten

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square pan.

Add butter to melted chocolate, mixing well until butter is melted. Stir in the sugar. When well mixed, add in the beaten eggs. Add flour. Stir to a smooth batter, then add the nuts. Spread in the pan and bake for 25 minutes. When removed from the oven, this mixture will appear to be soft and rather undercooked. Resist the urge to overbake! Let the brownies stand in the pan until they are cool and hardened. They will look and taste like chocolate fudge.

Yum! Try not to eat the whole pan...