Hi friends! I hope you didn”t think I”d forgotten about you!

After what feels like forever, we”re finally settled in our new place. We didn”t have any internet for most of last week, which is why the blog was rather quiet. But, I did get my first ever garden planted – I even have the bright red sun burn to prove it!

I can”t believe how much our lives have changed over the last little while. We went from a view like this:

To a view like this:

Only a little change…

To make up for my week of silence, I made you brownies. Fudgy, gooey, rich brownies. With little pockets of salt roasted pecans to help offset the uber chocolatey-ness. It is one delicious combination.

To ensure fudgy brownies every time it”s important to do two things 1) Don”t over-bake the brownies. A toothpick inserted in the centre should have a few fudgy crumbs stuck to it. If it comes out clean it”s been in the oven too long. To avoid this, check on the brownies well before the recommended time. 2) Don”t over-beat the batter. If you beat the batter too much it incorporates too much air and you”ll have a cakey brownie instead of a fudgy one. To avoid this, mix the batter by hand just until the ingredients are incorporated.

This is one brownie that gets better with age, so if you can bear the wait, make it the day before you plan on serving it.

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Fudge Brownies with Salt Roasted Pecans

Salt Roasted Pecans

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and salt. Cook, stirring often until the pecans have a toasted aroma. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Brownies

• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, cut up
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Melt together chocolate and butter in a medium sized saucepan, over medium heat. Remove from heat; whisk in sugars. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until evenly mixed. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour and cocoa powder.

Remove 12 pecans from the skillet and set aside. Chop remaining pecans and stir into brownie batter. Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 inch baking pan. Top with the reserved pecans.

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes, or until the top looses it”s shine and a toothpick inserted in the centre produces fudgy crumbs. Let cool at least one hour before serving. Store covered, at room temperature, for up to 5 days.

Makes: 12 servings

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Adapted from Bake with Anna Olson.