Fudgy Brownies, 2 ways

As requested (Hi, LeAnn!), here are the 2 brownie recipes I like the most.  We like our brownies fudgy, with a barely even cooked center, and both of these recipes deliver. The first one came from a Good Housekeeping magazine, sometime around 1999.  It's got a salty-sweet thing going on, and isn't as sweet as most brownies, despite the 2 cups of sugar.

The second one is much newer, from the Chocolate issue of Food Network magazine.  I used the recipe because it didn't call for any baking chocolate, which was good because I don't have any right now.  It was sweeter than my go to recipe, which is weird because it calls for less sugar.

Will have to make more to figure this one out...

Anyway, here are the recipes.  Make one, make both, let me know what you think!



Recipe #1
Good Housekeeping's Best Ever Fudgy Brownies (circa 1999)

3/4 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
4 oz semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips work here too)
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
5 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt

Melt butter and chocolates over low heat.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs.  Mix well.  Combine flour and salt, stir into chocolate mixture just until blended.  Spread in greased 9x13 pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350.  Cool.

*I've also made a Mexican chocolate version of these brownies, by adding in about 2 tsp chili powder and cinnamon to the flour and salt.  YUM

***Sadly, I don't have a picture of this brownie to share :(



Recipe #2
Food Network Magazine's Fudgy Brownies (from the insert in the March 2012 issue)

Melt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips and 1 stick of butter (**official recipe instruction.  However, when I made this the chocolate melted a lot faster than the butter.  Next time I will start the butter first, let it melt about half way, then add the chocolate**) in a saucepan over low heat, stirring.  Off the heat, whisk in 3/4 cup each light brown sugar and granulated sugar; cool slightly.  Whisk in 4 eggs, one at the time, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Stir in 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp salt.  Spread in sprayed 9x13 pan, bake 45 minutes at 325. 

**Note: I never measure my vanilla, so I probably use more like 2 tsp.  But then, I love vanilla.

***Note:  In this recipe, I used 1 tsp salt.

I don't know if I can really pick a favorite here, but I'd probably stick with brownie #1, unless of course I'm out of baking chocolate...