Triple Chocolate Brownies

These truly are the very best brownies. So easy, they can be made while you are boiling water for pasta. The perfect base for an almost endless array of add-ins, you will never tire of them. The perfect gift for a lovelorn friend, a bake sale staple, an undeniably delicious bribe, a delectable way of expressing gratitude. Or, you can simply hide in a closet and keep them all to yourself. Tempting.

Recipe:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 8 ounces butter (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 large handful bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle of the oven.
Butter or spray a rectangular pyrex dish--I use one that is 11 3/4 inches by 7 1/2 inches.

1. In a medium bowl over boiling water (or in a microwave) melt chocolate and butter together. Stir gently just until melted. 
2. Add sugar, vanilla, eggs and salt and mix until eggs are just combined. Add flour and cocoa powder and mix again just until combined and there are no lumps--really DO NOT OVERMIX. The brownies will be tough and dry if you mix too much. Really you are just trying to make sure that all your ingredients are combined together and aren't left in great lumps, that's all. Use a wooden spoon, be gentle.
3. Add chocolate chips and spoon into prepared pan. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until brownies are set-the surface should have a nice sheen, the edges should be  dry and well set, and the tester should come out fairly dry. The brownies will continue to cook, once they come out of the oven, and they really are best a bit on the gooey side, so it's best to under-rather than over cook.

One caveat: You MUST wait until the brownies are cool before cutting! I know, it will be hard!

If you ever get bored with the basic recipe (how could you? but still...) add chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter before baking, or sprinkle the top with some grains of super coarse salt, or pistachios, or coconut, or frost it with ganache when it cooled, or....see? practically endless....