Gourmet Galley for Oct. 8, 2009

• By CORINNE COOK
• Advocate Food writer
• Published: Oct 8, 2009

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Some brownie recipes are so easy you can make a batch about as quickly as you prepare a box mix.

Brownies are a blend of sugar, flour, eggs, chocolate and butter. All brownies are good, but we each have our favorite texture of brownies.

For some, it’s a dense, almost fudge texture that’s intensely chocolate. Others like a cakelike brownie, with or without nuts. Others like a mix of the two types, and possibly powdered sugar or icing on top.

Brownies are special treats for all ages and occasions. Over the years, this simple confection has gotten fancier. I see recipes for two- and three-layer brownies laden with fancy nuts, fruit combos, coffee, green tea and peppermint added to the batter. But it’s back to basics with the recipes which follow  because I prefer a plain chocolate brownie that’s delicious and easy to stir together.

I’ve included two recipes; one makes a big batch of plain brownies that you could serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the other makes a smaller batch that has Chocolate-Pecan Icing over the top.