Fudge Brownies

Chocolate lovers, these decadent brownies are the stuff of drools dreams. Rich, fudgy, nutty, chewy, chocolaty heaven-in-a-square. Even maestro Willy Wonka himself would agree. I mean, who doesn’t love brownies? And these check ALL the boxes. Even ice cream is superfluous with these bad boys, and that’s saying something (although it couldn’t hurt any either…). I love the crunch and depth of flavor added by the nuts, but you can leave them out if you prefer them that way or have a nut allergy. They’re still fudgy and amazing.

This recipe comes from my grandma, Ann Williams Stephens. She’s been making them at least since the 1970’s and it’s THE brownie recipe we make in our family. I remember my mom teaching me how to make these when I was about seven years old, and I never looked back. We made them all the time growing up, and would often experiment with our own variations to the recipe (s’mores brownies, peanut-butter-swirl brownies, etc). I don’t always do the frosting on top (they’re still rich and amazing without it), but it really takes them to the next level of gooey deliciousness, so it’s perfect when you really want a special treat.

My grandma Ann knows how to spoil her grandchildren. She makes outstanding desserts, and always grinningly dishes out a slightly larger portion than what you’re probably allowed. (Shhhhh–don’t tell!) As kids, she would send us each a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day every year, which we eagerly awaited in the mail. The chocolates were either instantly devoured or slowly savored for days, depending on our mood and chocolate-craving-intensity. Then we would save the colorful heart-shaped-boxes for weeks to store other treasures.

These brownies remind me of those chocolates, both for their richness and the fact that they’re from Grandma. But also because, like the chocolates, they are irresistible enough to either be instantly devoured or, if you have great willpower, slowly savored, because they’re just as good chilled as they are warm. They make great gifts any day of the year (Valentines day or otherwise), because nothing says “I love you,” “Happy Friday,” “Sorry I called you ‘pickle-face’,” “Still friends?” or “It’s-been-a-long-day-so-let’s-have-a-couch-movie-dessert-party,” better than chocolate. Especially warm chewy chocolate brownies that you baked yourself. So thoughtful. So generous. (Just leave out the part about how easy they were to make and how you already ate half the batch first. If you put them on a plate, they’ll never know.)

Here’s the recipe. You can thank me later. Better yet, thank Grandma.