These are the cakey brownies of my youth, not at all chewy or gooey like I often see served up in cafes. Best of all, this recipe packs serious chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.

I have updated the original recipe to use cake flour, which gives the brownies a more delicate texture than all-purpose flour. If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can substitute the flour called for below by combining 3 T cornstarch with 1 1/3 C (175 g) all-purpose flour to make an approximation.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (225 g) butter
• 1½ C (200 g) cake flour
• 2 C (400 g) sugar
• 6 T (30 g) unsweetened non-alkalized cocoa
• 4 large eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 2 C chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) then grease a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and cocoa. Add the cooled butter and beat until well blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined, then stir in the vanilla.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it into the corners to create a smooth surface, then sprinkle the nuts on top. Bake until the brownies are almost firm when lightly pressed on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Remove the pan to a rack and let stand until completely cool.

Yield: 24 brownies