This wonderful brownie recipe comes from Aaron Sanchez. And unlike many of the recipes that I feature on this site, I have not changed one single solitary ingredient or amount in Aaron’s recipe. No need! However, I did change the assembly instructions a bit. I added the step of sieving the dry ingredients together to eliminate any possibility of lumps in the final product. This is not a difficult or very time consuming process, but one that guarantees that all your careful preparation work will not have been in vain. (No one appreciates biting into a lovely goody like this brownie and finding a small lump of cocoa or a wee chunk of cayenne, for example.) Not a pleasant surprise. And dried ingredients are notorious for wanting to stick together. (And yes I know what you are thinking when it comes to dried spices. Fresh spices don’t clump together.)
But let’s be realistic here. Most of us who cook and bake a lot buy our spices in bulk. And regardless of what the experts say about only using fresh spices (they all work for large import companies, BTW), a dried spice older than 6 months is just as worthy of your regard as the fresh faced newcomer in your spice rack! Just because older spices have a little longevity going for them does not mean that they should be cast away like last year’s half jar of Aunt Sarah’s homemade bread and butter pickles! (Note to self: clean the refrigerator!) Older spices just need to be understood.
So if using a sieve to break up little clumps of spice caused by repeated and infinitesimal exposure to moisture that robs the spice of essential oils, so be it. Beats the heck out of becoming “spice poor” or worse yet, “old spice phobic”! Just treat your older herbs and spices with the same kind of loving respect you afford your older loved ones. Visit them often, tell them how wonderful they are each time you reach for them, and treat them special. Nothing could be easier.
- 1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks), plus more for greasing
- 2 c. sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2/3 c. good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
Place the butter in a large glass bowl and microwave at a low heat just until melted. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla; stir until well combined.
In a separate bowl sieve the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and baking powder together to eliminate any lumps. Add to the butter mixture and stir until smooth. Spread the batter in a lightly buttered glass 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (350 if you are using a metal pan) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
(And sorry about no picture of the brownies. They were gone before I could even think about reaching for my camera.)