My Sister’s Brownies

For years I’ve set a goal to find the perfect homemade brownie recipe. And...I kept coming back to the same conclusion: no recipe is quite as good as the Ghiradelli brownie mix.

But as I was trying to think of the perfect recipe to pair with Desperate I thought of brownies—since there’s mention of Caroline baking them for her horrible ex.

I thought of this old brownie recipe my sister used to bake that has been languishing in my recipe binder for decades.

I made them the other day and— you guys!!! These brownies are amazing. All these years looking for my favorite brownie recipe and it turns out I had it all along. Which is also incredibly fitting for Caroline’s story.

Michelle’s Brownies

1 1/3 cups lour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1 cup cocoa (or 2/3 cup for Dutch Process cocoa)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

I cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1 to 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2 inch baking pan. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa, and stir to blend. Pour butter-cocoa mixture into large bowl. Blend in sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs, and continue blending. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Blend in milk and vanilla; stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in pan.