Worthwhile Recipes: Chocolate Swirl Butterscotch Brownies

Rich and chewy lusciousness. Definitely worth one’s while (though not, of course, if you’re counting calories….)

These brownies are absolutely scrumptious. That’s reason enough for making them. Beyond that, they take all of ten minutes to whip up from scratch and you can do all the mixing in one saucepan. What more could you ask?

Well, there is one other thing. These brownies somehow seem to warm the soul. Somehow, they seem to communicate a bit of comfort and spread a bit of joy. That’s a lot to be said for a brownie.

Simple. Sweet. Soothing to the soul.

What you need:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

What you do:

First, melt 1/2 cup of butter over low heat. Then turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup of brown sugar–either light, dark, or a combination of the two. (Truth be told, the other night I had to turn my pantry upside down to find enough brown sugar, finally combining the remains of three separate bags to come up with one cup. Yikes.)

Next, add one egg and stir well.

Now, throw 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tsp. of baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. of salt together on top of the brown sugar mixture. Mix the dry ingredients together a bit and then stir the entire concoction till everything is nicely blended.

Add 1 tsp. of vanilla, stir well, and then spread the batter in a greased 9″ x 9″ square pan.  Sprinkle the batter with about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Bake for five minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Then pull out the rack and run a knife through the batter to create a marbleized effect. (And yes, you can lick the knife afterwards.)

Continue baking for about 20 minutes more. Then remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool (if you have the patience, which I only sometimes do) before cutting them into squares.

These particular brownies accompanied my son and his friends on a road trip to college orientation this week. And what really brought me joy the other day? Watching my daughter whip up a batch in celebration of her friend’s 16th birthday. These really are the all-occasion treat.

Remember the  three “S’es?”

Simple. Sweet. Soothing.

Make that four, because there’s one more: to be shared.