Butter Brownies

God bless Alton Brown. When it comes to my favorite people in the whole world, he could quite possibly be number three behind only my husband & children (we can count them as 1, right?). There is a special place in heaven reserved for Alton. I love his tv show (Good Eats), I love his books (I'm Only Here for the Food) and I love that he can use garden hoses and sock puppets to show us normal people the science behind recipes (meat fibers and yeast, respectively).

But I love him most of all for this.

The original recipe was named cocoa brownies, but my husband has renamed it butter brownies. This is another one of those recipes that my derriere tries desperately to talk my lips out of eating. But it's all in vain. One look, one smell of these dense, rich beauties and there is just no turning back. Remember the Borg from Star Trek? It's like that...resistance is futile.

Of all the recipes I've posted so far, this is probably my favorite. Okay, it is my favorite. However in the best interests of my heart health (and in an effort to keep my fingers small enough to fit only on one key on my laptop at a time) I can only make these occasionally. These are great for making when you have friends, family, bosses or even presidential candidates visiting your house. (I'm already thinking ahead to 2012, okay?)

Bake these. Soon. And watch Alton Brown for a plethora of other amazing recipes mixed with wit and humor. It's an order.

Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies

Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter (2 sticks....just do it)
1 1/4 cups cocoa, sifted (I like dutch processed for this, but you can use your favorite)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Alton has gotten me hooked on kosher salt...it's really the best)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried and true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool. (This takes supreme willpower!)

Why are you still here? Go bake these!!