Brownies Anyone?

I used to have THE BEST brownie recipe ever. It was gooey, fudgey and amazing.  I made it all the time in Saskatoon.  One day I made the brownies and brought them to school.   A friend of mine really loved them and asked for the recipe.  So that evening I went home to copy the recipe for her, but I could not find it. Anywhere.  I hadn't made brownies since.

Recently though, I had gotten a craving for brownies.  I searched Tastespotting to find a recipe that I thought looked somewhat similar to my original recipe.

With the help of Kim, I landed on this one.

It looked gooey and delicious.  Plus, it was a one bowl recipe, which is something I love.

Here were the ingredients needed.

First I melted the chocolate and butter in a double broiler.

Then I let it cool for 10 minutes. Next I added sugar.  Then I whisked in the eggs one at a time. Followed by the vanilla.Lastly I folded in the flour.

I poured it into the pan and baked.  I baked for a bit longer then the recipe called for to get the right texture.

Here are the final results!!

So do these best brownies compare to my old recipe?
Almost.
If my old recipe was a 10/10, this would be a 8.5/10.

Modification: I used semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet. (Semi-sweet came in a 8 oz. box and bitter-sweet only came in a 6 oz. box.)

Brownies
recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 c. all-purpose
1/2 tsp. salt (I use sea salt. If using, you don’t need the full 1/2 tsp.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dishpan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. (I use 2 sheets of parchment paper, setting them perpendicular to one another in the pan. This makes for nice corners on the brownies.) Set aside.
2. Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, simmering water. (I use this double boiler. It also serves as my one mixing bowl for this recipe. Totally worth the investment, especially after you start making these all the time.) Stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. (I use a spatula. Works better than a whisk with batter this thick, in my opinion.) Gently fold in flour and sea salt.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. (These will be fudge-y!)
5. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.