Brownies, Baby and Wedded Bliss

This past Friday, our good friends Erin and James tied the knot.  They have been our dear friends for many years and it was SO wonderful to share their special day with them.  Carl was honored to be part of their wedding party and it was a beautiful day.  Erin looked absolutely stunning and James was smiling ear to ear - all day long. We are so happy for them! Congratulations and Best Wishes, Erin and James!

I had originally planned to make some of my brownies for the groomsmen to enjoy while they were getting ready, but time definitely got ahead of me.  Carl and I traveled home last night and today we planned to pick up Henry in NH and meet up with some other friends who recently had a baby.  We planned to do lunch, so I thought it would be the perfect chance to make my brownies!  I wish I could show you a picture of sweet baby, Max - but out of respect for my friends I don't want to post pictures on the blog without their approval.  Trust me when I tell you that he was sweeter than these brownies times a million!  His precious little cheeks were just too much to handle and my heart surely was melting.  It is such a blessing to finally get to meet Mike and Beth's little bundle of joy.  He was born a little earlier than expected and had to spend almost a month in the NICU.  Many prayers later and blessings from above he is doing fantastic and finally home with his mommy, daddy and big brother, David.  It was a wonderful afternoon and we were so happy to get to spend some time with them.  

Mike and Beth have always been a fan of my baking and both noted how fudgy these brownies were. They surely were delicious and fudgy is definitely the perfect word to describe them.

So without further ado...

Fudgy Brownies

Serves 9

3/4 cup butter, melted (1.5 sticks)
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey's)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray

In a large bowl - blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla.  Once well combined, beat in eggs one at a time.  In a separate bowl, combine - flour, cocoa and salt.  Slowly blend cocoa flour mixture into egg mixture.  Spread brownie batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Brownies should start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.  Cool brownies on baking rack.  Once cool, cut into squares and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.