"Sick-Girl" Brownies or The Best Brownies Ever

The only time I allow myself to make brownies is when I am sick.  This happens very rarely, once a year maybe.  For some reason, nothing makes me feel better than eating a pan of brownies, watching Clash of the Titans, and wallowing in my lethargy.  Since I don't typically devour the pan in one sitting, but rather over the course of a few days, it's not as bad as it sounds.

The sad bit is that I don't have a tried and true Brownie recipe.  I like them chocolaty, sweet, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle.  Using what I had in my kitchen, I miraculously made a delicious batch once.  Luckily, I managed to write the hodge-podge recipe down.  Below is a variation on that recipe.  And, because brownies have such little flour, a gluten free version is easy to make.

3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
3 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add any or all of the following to enhance flavor:  1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp. Cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon instant or powdered coffee.  There is something about coffee that brings out the chocolate.

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 glass baking dish.  Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a mixing bowl, add oil, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat in eggs.  Stir together dry ingredients and mix into wet.  Scrape into baking dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool on wire rack.  They are always better the next day.

If you have no chips, just increase cocoa powder to 1/2 cup.  If no powder, increase chips to 2/3 cup.  You can use all white sugar and no brown.  If using just brown, lower amount to 1 cup packed.

Next time I plan on trying to use just cocoa powder and no flour.  And if you want to make them absolutely decadent, frost them with chocolate butter-cream frosting.