I make these all too often.

It's a mixing / learnings of at least 15 different brownie recipes, tirelessly testing and mixing ratios

This can make deliciously fudgy brownies, with a nice crisp crust on the top. ie: something sinfully decadent.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 stick of butter
• 4oz baking chocolate
• 1 2/3 cup sugar. brown is best, but white is ok
• 1 cup flour ( i like a 2:1 white:whole wheat ratio , but you can use all white )
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp creme de cacao ( if you have it. not necessary at all )

Directions

Melt the butter & baking chocolate together. I imagine you could use a microwave proof bowl, but i just put my metal mixing bowl on top of a pot of boiling water -- within 10 minutes, its all good.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients, and pour into a pan. 8x8 or 9x9 should work fine.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes... just until the top just starts to set and look like a 'brownie' -- then pull out to cool. The batch will continue to cook for a bit with residual heat. You want to ensure that the top has just set -- this way they are fudgier and not cake-like.

Simple Variations:

• You can add another egg, or egg-yolk, and it will be pretty fine.
• You can probably go down to 1.3 cups of sugar or so -- but you'd best be off with brown sugar in that case
• I've cut the butter down to 1/2 a stick - but when I do, i add 2tbsp of molasses
• You can heat up some peanut butter to make it thinner, drizzle a bit on the batter in the pan, and use a fork to cut it in / make a design.
• You can drop some frozen raspberries into the pan before pouring the batter in
• You can add in 1-2 tsp of instant coffee to make the chocolate taste darker

About

Filling inspired by a recipe from Moosewood; topping inspired by a few dozen recipes; both altered to fit my fridge and tastes.

Notes

Sour Cream makes the topping moist and heavenly, and helps cut down on the use of butter.

Lime cuts the deepness of the mango with a splash of brightness -- it also means barely adding sugar.

Ingredients - Filling

• 2 very ripe Mangos ( 2 cups )
• 1 cup strawberries ( frozen is fine )
• 1 Lime
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg

Ingredients - Topping

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2.5 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 tbsp melted butter
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 400

Make the Filling

Chop stawberries into halves & quarters depending on size; roughly chop mangos to match; juice the lime over the mixture. Mix cornstarch & water, and add to fruit. Sprinkle on cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, sugar, and toss fruit mixture.

Make the topping

Melt the butter; mix with a rubber spatula into sour cream, water, egg, vanilla extract. Mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.

Spoon the topping onto the filling. Try to spread it out.

Bake for 30-50 minutes; sometimes longer... you really just want the top to stay light, as parts start to turn golden brown.