Bittersweet Chocolate Brownies

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl or pan over simmering water, stirring until smooth and warm. Set aside to cool.
3. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs with salt, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and thickened.
4. Stir in the melted chocolate and butter mixture. Fold in the flour and walnuts.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few soft crumbs when inserted in the center. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Making the Perfect Brownies

Brownies may seem like one of the simplest desserts to make, but there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid lumpy or overcooked brownies. First, make sure you are using the correct size pan—a pan that is too large will spread out the batter too thin and you'll end up with dry, over-baked brownies; a pan that is too small will result in undercooked brownies, especially in the center. And don't forget to grease and flour (or use cocoa powder) the pan or else you will end up having to eat the brownies directly out of it with a fork! To make removing the cut brownies even easier, place a piece of parchment paper in the pan so it hangs over two sides and then add the batter. This way, you can simply lift out the entire brownie before cutting into squares.

As tempting as these delicious bittersweet brownies may be, you will need to exercise patience when making them. Before adding the melted chocolate and butter to the egg mixture, you need to make sure it has cooled down or else it can curdle the eggs. It is also ideal to allow the baked brownies to come to room temperature before cutting; this can take from 1 to 2 hours. It not only will make them easier to cut, but also allows for the flavors to develop. Where you don't need as much patience is when they are baking; you don't want to leave them in the oven until there are no crumbs on the toothpick—this means they are overcooked. The brownies are done when soft, gooey crumbs stick to the cake tester.