Double Chocolate Brownies

Martha Stewart failed me this weekend.

I didn't think I would ever say that. Martha has always been my baking constant.

But don't worry, there's a happy ending!

I am voraciously making my way through her Cookie book and this weekend I decided on these Pistachio Lemon Drop Cookies. The first time I started laughing was when the mixer wouldn't mix just one egg white. Then I started doing it myself with a whisk and it wasn't so funny anymore. Then I ended up with about 1 cup of "cookie dough", which translated into 8 cookies. And by the time I took them out of the oven, they had completely flattened into eachother and were rocks on my cookie sheet. I burst out laughing and decided to go to the gym.

Immediately upon my return, I decided brownies would more than make up for the epic failure of the morning. And boy, did they restore my faith in Martha! These brownies are super duper fudgy and have a shiny, crumbly crust on the top.

Double Chocolate Brownies from Martha Sewart's Cookie Book

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan

6 ounces coarsely chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.

Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.

Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.