Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

As the baker in the family, I spend about 90% of my time in the kitchen baking. Now while this is fun most of the time, there are days when I don’t feel like experimenting; when I just want to follow a no-fail recipe, and have it come out perfectly. At times like these, I usually turn to Martha Stewart- specifically this, her Baking Handbook.

For baking basics, you can’t go wrong with this book. The recipes might not be particularly fancy or exciting, but you can be sure they’ve been thoroughly tested, and- if followed precisely- will give you good results.

The Fudgy Chocolate Brownies recipe I’ve included below, for example, doesn’t call for much more than flour, butter, eggs, sugar and chocolate- none of that extra cinnamon or coffee like many other recipes- but produces a nice batch of chocolate brownies that are indeed fudgy, and- like most of the recipes in this cookbook- are always a crowd-pleaser.

I do want to give special mention to the chapter on Pies, which I found tremendously helpful when I was trying to perfect my pie-making.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Source: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
Makes 16

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares. Brownies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.