Homemade brownies are a good reminder that easy baking doesn’t always involve a packaged mix or an electric mixer. These brownies require only a saucepan for melting the butter and chocolate. Once that’s taken care of, stir in the rest of the ingredients and the batter is ready. That’s it. The texture of these falls in the middle between the dense fudgy style and taller, cakier brownies. Min always takes her mother’s advice and sprinkles the nuts on top so they’ll toast in the oven. A big pan of brownies can do anything. Pass a platter after a casual barbecue blow-out or dress them up with any or all three of the cheater smoked dessert sauces (pages 197 to 199) and ice cream.

　　

Ingredients

makes 24 to 36 bars

　　12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter

　　6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

　　2 cups sugar

　　1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

　　4 large eggs, beaten

　　2 teaspoons vanilla extract

　　1 teaspoon bottled smoke (optional)

　　1 cup chopped nuts (whatever kind you like—pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamias)

　　

Step 1

HEAT the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

　　

Step 2

MELT the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate, stirring until melted.

　　

Step 3

REMOVE the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, and bottled smoke, if using.

　　

Step 4

POUR the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the top with the nuts.

　　

Step 5

BAKE for 25 to 28 minutes, until the sides just begin to pull away from the pan. The center will seem set, but soft. Let the brownies cool in the pan on a rack for about 1 hour. Cut into bars.

　　Cheater BBQ