"Disgustingly Rich" Almond Brownies

Okay Holy Cow...I turn 27 this week!  I am not really sure where the last year of my life has gone.  But I have to say I am so excited for my 27th year.  Okay I know this is going to sound completely weird, but since I was a little kid I always thought, for some strange reason, that being 27 was going to be great, like that good things would happen when I was 27.  Maybe my kid self thought that 27 was when you really became and adult?  I don't about this, some days I feel like an adult and some days I don't.  I do know that in my 27th year I will be making a step toward this by getting married, and having all of the changes that this entails.

Plus, I am going to try to keep pushing myself this coming year. ..maybe another marathon?  This past weekend though was the bike ride from Philadelphia to Atlantic City.  It was a great ride and we had perfect weather!  What way to better reward myself than having a brownie and then sending the rest to Rachel since she was the 20th recipe giveaway winner.

These brownies came out just as I remembered when I ate them as a kid.  They are rich, soft and chewy!  Basically delicious!  Enjoy!

Let's get these brownies started.  Cocoa powder and sugar.

Then the good stuff...melted butter.

And for these brownies...some chopped almonds.

Fold them in with the dry ingredients, and then in to the pan.

This lucky guy got to lick the whisk..and spatula.

Off to Rachel they go! 

"Disgustingly Rich" Almond Brownies:

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 sticks unsalted butter (1cup)

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray an 8 x 8" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  In a microwave safe dish, melt the butter.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and cocoa powder.  Then stir in the melted butter.

4.  Next add in the eggs and vanilla extract until completed combined.

5.  Then mix in the flour and salt just until smooth.  Do not over mix.  Then fold in the almonds.

6.  Scrape the mixture into prepared baking dish using a spatula and spread into an even layer.

7. Bake for 350 degrees just until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, or tester comes out with no batter.  About 35-40 minutes.

8.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!