Rich, Fudgy Brownies

These are the perfect brownies to make for a picnic or to just have hanging around for a snack. To transform them into an elegant dessert, add port-soaked dried cherries to the batter and frost the cooled brownies with a port-ganache topping (recipe: Port Ganache-Glazed Brownies with Dried Cherries)

• 8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter; more softened butter for the pan
• 3 oz. (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. table salt

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch-square metal baking pan, tapping out the excess flour.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk or stir in the sugar, followed by all four of the eggs and the vanilla. Stir in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, starting slowly to keep the ingredients from flying out of the pan and stirring more vigorously as you go. Stir until the batter is smooth and uniform, about 1 minute. If you’re using the portsoaked cherries, stir them in at this time, along with any remaining liquid from the saucepan.

Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it so it fills the pan evenly. Bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted 3/4 inch into the center of the brownies comes out with just a few moist clumps clinging to it, about 40 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Cut into 16 squares. Keep the brownies at room temperature, well wrapped. You can freeze them, too.