Uncle Ben's Best Brownies

These are old-school cocoa brownies, the kind that come together in a single bowl with melted butter as the starting point. No chocolate to chop, no separate dry-and-wet bowls, no mixer required. The microwave melts the butter, sugar and vanilla go in, then eggs one by one, then cocoa, then the dry. From start to oven in under fifteen minutes.

The four-egg, one-cup-flour ratio is what gives these their fudgy, glossy brownie personality. Plenty of eggs and sugar relative to flour means a chewy, dense bar with that crackly, paper-thin top everyone fights over. Baking powder gives them just enough lift to be tender, not cakey.

Adding the eggs one at a time and beating well after each is the small step that produces the shiny crackle top. The vigorous beating dissolves more sugar into the batter, which is what creates the meringue-like surface as the brownies bake.

Pull them when the edges start to separate from the pan and the center is just set.

Pro Tips

• Use natural cocoa with the baking powder; Dutch-processed cocoa lacks the acidity the leavening needs.
• Line the pan with foil or parchment with overhang; lifting the slab out makes cutting cleaner squares.
• Cool completely in the pan before cutting; warm brownies smear instead of slicing.
• Stir nuts in last if using; chopped pecans or walnuts add crunch but the brownies are great plain.

Variations

• Stir in a half cup of chocolate chips along with the nuts for double-chocolate bars.
• Spread cooled brownies with chocolate frosting or peanut butter frosting.
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder with the cocoa for a deeper chocolate flavor.