Perfect Chocolate Brownies

Hi Virginia...I made your brownies today, after reading all the great reviews, I just had to see what all this fuss was about, and now i know...well, what more can I add that has not already been said...these are actually the best brownies that I have ever made...this is what a brownie should taste like...moist, soft, and with a rich chocolate flavor...made them exactly as stated... I added 1 cup chocolate chips, and 2 Tbsp Kahlua (that I had left over from Christmas, with the vanilla)... baked it on the middle rack, so they would not get too over done on the bottom...they turned out wonderful, so good that they really don't even need any frosting, but we my DH and my son love frosting so I will add it on the brownies. Thank you so much for posting such a wonderful recipe, I will be making these again very soon. :-)

These brownies were alright. I never made brownies in this kinds of method, so I was excited to try it. I followed the directions exactly and when the brownies were cool enough to cut, well lets just say it was struggle to get my knife through it. The taste was average, not moist, on the dry side. I was planning to put the leftovers in the kids lunches the next day and they were hard as bricks and had to dump them. I will keep looking....

I was really excited to try this recipe after so many great reviews, however the brownies didn't meet my expectations. I followed the recipe exactly, so I don't know what went wrong. My roommate and I both said that they weren't "chocolatey" enough for our taste. My roommate even made the comment that they seemed to have a bad aftertaste. I'm glad that others have found their perfect brownie recipe. As for me, I am still looking!

I have made a lot of brownie recipes, and this one stands head and shoulders above the rest! So very simple to prepare, using Virginia's excellent instructions. Even mixing the batter by wooden spoon is simple because you are adding in only portions at a time. I omitted the nuts as I will be offering these to my son who doesn't like nuts in his brownies (I love them and would have added walnuts - next batch, I will!). Brownies were ready and baked in exactly 30 minutes. I will keep this recipe in my Make Again Collection! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Virginia!

Family didn't give this top marks, brownies were fudgy but not moist but dry, flavour was ok. Followed instructions, not sure if I made an error by mixing in mixer, perhaps over-mixing (if I should have mixed by hand ??). Sent and email to chef with no reply. Found another recipe which is even simpler on Zaar #51225 which the family really enjoyed today !!

These are soooo good! I used margerine instead of shortening & they still turned out great. Thanks.

I am absolutely SPEECHLESS! These are by far the BEST brownies I have ever tasted!! Thank you so much Virginia - I think I shall be making these until I'm a little old lady. If you haven't made these yet, DO IT - TODAY!!!!

I followed this recipe exactly and they did not turn out. My kid wouldn't even finish chewing it. Not sure what happened but we won't be making these again.

Not at all chewy. Not chocolatey enough for us. Dry. Will not make again. Sorry. I know this recipe has received many great reviews, but I cannot rate as highly as they all have.

I had high hopes for this recipe, given the long list of positive reviews, but this recipe just did not turn out for me. The brownies were quite flat and dry in the middle, and they lacked much chocolatey-cocoa taste (and I used Girardelli premium cocoa that I've used for all my other brownie recipes with great success, so I don't think it was that). I thought maybe it was something I had done wrong, so I made it a second time with the same result. So I don't think I'll be making these brownies again.

Was difficult to cook as I chose to use a smaller pan so it could fit into my toaster oven.--the top was done, but the inside needed an extra 15 minutes on 325 with aluminum foil over it. Because I'd always prefer to use my toaster oven rather than the big oven, I probably won't be making this again.

Very good recipe! I didn't have shortening on hand, so I used oil instead, otherwise made as written. My whole family loved it. Thanks for posting! :)

wonderful tasting and very easy-to-make and chewy brownies. it's now my official brownie recipe. i omitted the walnuts becuz i didn't have any but still turned out great. thanks :)

Great brownie recipe. I made it exactly as posted and they were perfect!

I made these for my SO on 11/23/10.I sort of followed the recipe as it was written( READ: messed up :) big time ) I didn't read the recipe right and put the cocoa and sugar in the same bowl, luckly I was able to get out most of the sugar. Then I added the cocoa and shortening to a large saucepan and went on with the recipe.I baked the brownies in a pre-heated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. I let them cool for 30 min..The smell was so enticing, that as soon as they were cool enough I had to eat a couple. And both my SO and I really enjoyed the taste, moist and fudgy just what a brownie should be. Thanks for posting a brownie recipe that will be made again and, " Keep Smilling :) "

Wonderful tasting brownie. Loved that it was mixed all in one pan and no separate bowls needed. Moist and full of chocolate-y goodness. Tagged and made for I Recommend tag game. Thanks for sharing!

Have never been a big brownie fan and had certainly never made them before. Saw this recipe and thought about giving it a try - OMG !!!!!!! My husband and I nearly lost our minds. These brownies are moist, fudgy and so very very good. Will definitely make again and again.

I know this recipe has lots of reviews but it was so good that I had to write another 5 star review. I have made this many times and for big crowds (80 people) and small crowds all worked out in one batch. This is for sure the best brownies I have made and has great reviews from the guest. Oh I almost forgot to say it works well with Whole Wheat flour also.

Great recipe. i halved the recipe & reduced baking time by 5 minutes. turned out great :) highly recommended.

Well, this is everything a brownie should be. I don't like using shortening for anything but pie crust, but I'll have to make an exception in this case. Five stars. I made it without nuts.