Salted Brownies with Walnuts

For the last few days I’ve found myself feeling disconnected. Not as engaged in my own life, perhaps a touch sad and weighed down by myself and my thoughts. Having just written about the ways I try to maintain my “home” I’m totally struggling this week and I believe this is what we call being human.

I don’t bake to eat, usually. I bake to get out emotion. I bake because it fills a gap in my life. Salted brownies woven with a generous heap of walnuts were baked last night - because there are some things a salad just does not have the power to do. When I’m feeling down I need to make something that can be shared and who wants a giant wet salad?

This spin on the classic Bakers One Bowl Brownies is amped up with salt and baking powder. I eliminate the vanilla so you’re left with salty bites that sleep with chocolate, uninterrupted by nothing but a chunk of walnuts here and there. The best part about brownies is their one tray, one dream benefit. No standing over the counter scooping and taking trays in and out of the oven - brownies are one and done.

Bake them for your next party, the office, your family or yourself. These were made with traces of my tears ‘cause last night I was feeling some kinda way … tears or not, they were met with kind words today.

One Bowl Salted Brownies

1 4oz bar of Bakers unsweetened chocolate *I also like Ghirardelli
1 1/2 sticks of salted butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 cup of flour
3/4 - 1 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a square 9x9 pan or 13x9 pan with parchment paper and put aside
Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a double boiler, remove from heat and stir until chocolate is melted
Add the sugar until fully mixed, add eggs and continue to mix until they’re absorbed in the batter
Add salt, baking powder and flour - mixing until combined
Stir in walnuts
Pour brownie batter into parchment lined baking pan and smooth out until batter is evenly distributed
Bake for 22-27 minutes if using a 13x9 pan and 35-45 minutes if using a 9x9 pan
Allow to cool and then cut into 2x2 squares