Caryl’s Simple Crowd-Pleaser Brownies

This is my mom Caryl’s brownie recipe, passed on to us daughters. Over the years it’s been fed to visiting folks from near and far. Ranch hands have been greeted with these, businessmen made comfortable amid our chaotic home, birthdays have been celebrated over a pan of these, and range riders have been sustained on brownies alone. Heck, even the dog ate these brownies the day she snatched one out of an unsuspecting kid’s hand (luckily, the chocolate had no ill effects).

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ¼ cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa (extra dark Dutch cocoa is preferable)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 4 eggs
• Nuts and chocolate chips to top, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch glass baking pan. 
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan on the stovetop. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cocoa. 
4. Pour the butter into the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and almond extract and stir well. 
5. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs. 
6. Pour the eggs into the brownie mix and stir well. 
7. Pour into the prepared pan, sprinkle on the toppings, and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out quite clean (it’s okay if there are a few streaks) and the brownies seem set. It’s better to take them out sooner rather than later, since these are best nice and moist.