In order to make really good and gooey brownies, you have to follow to very easy instructions: 1. Use at least 50% cacao dark chocolate (can be found in every supermarket) and 2. Never bake brownies until they are totally cooked. The second instruction means that you have to throw out everything you knew about the toothpick in the center of the cake trick- here it’s the opposite- the middle of the brownies should be shaky and not totally baked. If you over bake the brownies you will end up with just another chocolate cake (it’s a matter of minutes that separates between winning brownies and another dry unsuccessful chocolate cake). Don’t worry, you don’t have to be glued to your oven. Twenty minutes into baking check the brownies- if everything is shaky then you’ll need to bake them for another few minutes, but if the outside layer is firm but the inside seems a bit wobbly-you’ve got it! It should take about 30 minutes of baking, but it depends on the oven and the pan. The brownies in this picture were baked in a 22*22 cm. baking pan for 30 minutes, but you can also bake them in a 24*24 cm. baking pan and then the baking time is reduced by about 5 minutes, and the brownies will come out a little shorter.

Another tip- in order to easily remove the brownies from the baking pan without sticking, I recommend (in addition to spraying with oil spray) to line the baking pan with parchment paper that goes over the sides of the pan (cut the paper according to the size you need).

Ingredients for 8″x8″ baking dish (or 10″x10″ for thinner brownies):

¾ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

7 ounces (200 grams) dark chocolate, chopped into cubes

7 ounces (200 grams, 1¾ sticks) butter, cut into cubes

1 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup shelled (unroasted) pistachios (or ¾ cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, grease the baking dish with oil spray, line the baking dish with parchment paper and grease paper with oil spray. (The parchment paper should flow over the sides of the dish making it easier to take the brownies out after baked).
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a microwave or a ban marie (water bath over stove), melt the chocolate and butter together until a smooth mixture is formed. Add the sugar and mix and then add the eggs, gradually one at a time. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture, mix in the pistachios and mix until the batter is smooth (don’t over mix, otherwise the brownies won’t come out airy).
4. Pour the batter evenly into the baking dish. Bake for  25-30 minutes, until the edges of the brownies are stable and cooked, (the middle area shouldn’t be cooked all the way- it will be a little jiggly).
5. Allow brownies to cool to room temperature before cutting into squares and serving. Brownies can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 4 days.