Chocolate brownies

We were invited by a couple friend to their place for lunch on Christmas day. I was in charge for dessert and once again, I had been cracking my head what to bring (I am pretty bad when it comes to ideas for dessert). A friend has suggested a few ideas to me and I  finally went with the idea of brownies served with vanilla ice cream. Did some random search on Google for the easiest recipe as usual and found Chocablog's recipe.

Ingredients:
140g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
200g light muscovado sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
85g plain flour
75g walnuts, lightly toasted, chopped  (Omitted this)
Sifted cocoa powder or icing sugar, to dust  (Omitted this)

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line the base of an 18cm square cake pan (I used a round cake pan instead). Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch water). When butter and chocolate have melted (making a gorgeously shiny smooth mix), remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

2) Beat with a wooden spoon the sugar, vanilla and a good pinch of salt into the chocolate/butter mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and then add flour, beating until smooth.

3) Fold in the walnuts and pour the thick, rich mixture into the pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not sticky batter). Allow to cool, then turn onto a wire rack and peel off lining paper.

Before baking in the oven

40 - 45 minutes later

 4) Serve with ice cream or whipped cream or anything that you fancy while it is hot/warm.

I am glad the brownies turned out well given that it was my first time baking it. Glad the host enjoyed it too. The only thing that I may do differently is to reduce the amount of sugar slightly and add in walnuts for the taste of crunchiness.

Eat it hot/warm with ice cream or whipped cream just like Mudslide/Brownie Sundae  =)