brownies

Have you made brownies from scratch? Until I moved to China, the answer was no. Why would you? The boxes are so good and go on sale for just a dollar or two! But bringing years worth of brownie mix to China was not feasible, and when a box cost $7 here, I decided to try a recipe that was recommended by a friend. I didn’t try the recipe until my second year here because the ingredient list grossed me out. What kind of recipe has the same amount of oil as flour, and twice as much sugar? A good brownie, that is. Or perhaps, as the name suggests, the best brownie.

THE BEST BROWNIES
From the Tianjin Cookbook

½ cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

BLEND oil, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add eggs.

COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in a 9 inch square pan.

BAKE at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.