Brownies and Ice Cream
By Priya Pradhan
Photo by Julie Chen
Think indulgence. Think sweetness. Think of your ultimate guilty pleasure. What comes to mind?
For me, it's the timeless brownie sundae. Thin, fudgy slices of rich brownies stacked atop of one another, topped with a scoop of classic french vanilla ice cream, with a drizzle of dark chocolate ganache to finish it off. There is nothing quite as decadent as a chocolate brownie that, with each bite, leaves you wondering: why dessert isn’t the only meal of the day?
Brownies were the first baked good I ever learned to make, and they’re the one dish that I will still turn to a boxed mix for! This recipe is a for-sure hit, but if you’re ever in a rush, Ghiradelli’s boxed brownie mixes are the way to go (I stake my baker’s reputation on them, especially the sea-salt caramel mix).
Ingredients
½ cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar* (reduced from 1 cup)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Chocolate chunks, crushed Oreos, M&Ms, chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ (175 ℃ ) and prepare an 8-inch square pan by greasing it with some butter and coating all the sides with a sprinkle of flour.
In a saucepan or microwave, melt the 1/2 cup butter. Let it cool slightly, but not to the point where the butter sets.
Mix together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium-sized bowl.
Stir in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder until well-combined, try not to overmix**! At this point you can add in chocolate chunks, M&Ms, crushed Oreos or whatever else your heart desires.
Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t leave them in the oven too long!
Plate your brownies and top with a scoop of ice cream of your choice —classic vanilla is my favourite. Last but not least, dig in and ENJOY!
*Use a mix of brown and white sugar!
**Do not over beat your batter once the flour and cocoa powder are added. That creates air pockets in the batter which will give you cake-like textured brownies.