4 Brownies

To be very honest with you, the title of this post should probably be "6 Brownies," but because I am a glutton, it is not.

The original-sized recipe came from my mother-in-law and is appropriately entitled "Friendship Brownies." I think it's because you can mix up all the dry ingredients, then gift it with instructions on how to get them baked, thereby securing yourself oodles of friends. Many a happy day found David and I opening a care package from Virginia with some "friendly" mix in it. It's a great recipe and so easy, because its chocolateyness comes from cocoa and the fat is oil, so there's no melting, no stirring, no tempering -- just one bowl and a whisk.

So here's a tip: if you want to make smaller batches of brownies but don't have a tiny pan, cupcake tins work just fine. If you're an edge person (like David), bake them straight in the greased pan. If you're a middle person (like me), use cupcake liners, which will block some of that exterior crusting.

4 (fine, 6) Friendship Brownies

(Total prep/bake time: 30 minutes)

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup each brown sugar, white sugar, and cocoa

1/3 tsp each salt and baking powder

1 large egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Mix together dry ingredients (flour through powder).
2. Add egg, oil, and vanilla. Whisk well (dough will be thick). Stir in chips.
3. Divide between 4 (ok, 6) cupcake tins. Bake 14-20 minutes.

I know 14 - 20 minutes may seem like a pretty big window for baking time, but brownies are a deeply individual thing. If you like yours closer to batter than baked good, take them out when they're still jiggly and let them rest -- they'll continue to cook a bit out of the oven. If you're a cakey type (for some unfathomable reason), air on the lengthier side.