This week, Marlo Young-Sponga, a fourth-year double major in anthropology and professional writing, has volunteered one of her favourites, No Fail Brownies, for the Blackboard Special.
I’m a huge fan of “No Fail” recipes—there’s no way an average university student (I’m looking at myself here) can mess them up. What makes this recipe even better is that it does have a few surprising health benefits. I know what you’re thinking—brownies certainly don’t give off healthy vibes. But pushing aside the excessive use of butter and sugar, quick recipes tend to have ingredients with less fat and lower calories, making that one bite much less sinful. For example, Young-Sponga’s recipe avoids the use of icing, fudge, and chocolate.
However, she recommends topping the brownies with “copious amounts of Nutella” for the best taste. While I’d suggest avoiding going overboard with the Nutella (we’re trying to opt for the healthy route here, folks), I completely agree—you can’t go wrong with a little extra chocolate in your life.
No Fail Brownies
(Adapted from The Kitchens of Forestwood: Girl Guides of Canada / Guide du Canada Forestwood District)
Serves 8–12
Ingredients
- ½ cup of butter
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 cup of white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup of cocoa powder
- ½ cup of flour
Method
- Cream butter with sugar; add eggs, cocoa, flour, salt, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
- Pour the mixture into a buttered 8” x 8” pan. (Young-Sponga recommends lining the pan with aluminium foil or parchment paper to make it easier to remove the brownies later.)
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F.
- Serve immediately.
