Step Aside Mr. Hines.

Ah, brownies. So simple yet so delectable. Did you know that the brownie dates back to the late 1800's? It's said that the first brownie was invented (like many other enjoyable American snacks!) at the Chicago World's Fair. A high society broad named Bertha Palmer attended the fair & coveted a dessert that was small and easy to pack in a picnic lunch. She made her request known to a chef at the famous Palmer House Hotel and voila, the brownie was born.



I've made many a boxed brownie in my day, but never from scratch. After realizing how simple it was I decided to give it a whirl. I had heard that adding espresso powder to the batter heightens the flavor of the chocolate and gives the brownies a wonderful richness. It's true they were delicious, far superior to boxed brownies! I'm now a from-scratch brownie convert.

Brownies

Ingredients:
8- 1 ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat; set aside. In large bowl beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture, then flour and salt. Finally add espresso powder and cinnamon. Pour into pan & bake for 35 minutes.