It’s no secret, it gets cold, snowy and windy in Minnesota in the winter. And it seems that with the cold weather, heavy, rich foods just sound SO good!

For the most part, I do a good job of sticking to the routine of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy. However, there are just times when a girl has to splurge.

I had the day off yesterday and two children needing a distraction before they drove each other (and me) crazy. Because my house was already picked up and spotless, (said with a HUGE dash of sarcasm – we just moved the stack of papers from the counter to the table), we decided to bake. Brownies sounded good and I didn’t need to venture out into the cold for any ingredients.

The recipe I chose is in no way a healthy recipe, but it uses ingredients that I always have on hand and makes a nice, small 8″ x 8″ pan (a key to moderation). I did use dark chocolate instead of the semi-sweet chips and white whole grain flour instead of all-purpose flour because that’s what I had in the house.

These brownies are just the right mixture of cake and fudge. The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting until they are cooled to cut into them. And I’m sorry, I just don’t like frosted brownies. Let the brownie shine!!

As proof of how good these brownies are, I managed to swipe a quick photo of the lone surviving brownie (which I’m sure disappeared moments after I left the house this morning!).

Brownies

1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespooons butter
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used my favorite Green & Black’s 70% dark chocolate and it was fantastic)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8″x8″ square pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and water. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven until brownies set up. Do not overbake. Cool in a pan and cut into squares.