I’ve been making this brownie recipe since I learned to bake. It is dead simple and I think that is the nicest thing about it. It was my Grandma’s recipe and in those days you didn’t need to doll up good cooking with added fat, sugar and flavourings. There are no fads to this recipe as I see daily on idea and recipe sharing sites; it is not fried, stuffed or smothered. This recipe doesn’t need it. And that is aligned with my philosophy of whole foods. Yes, this recipe uses sugar (and is one of the few recipes in which I use refined sugar) but I justify it given that we eat so little processed foods in our home. If we want something sweet to eat our family rule is that you have to bake it yourself. This cuts out any grazing on sweets in our house because there are no processed ones to be found and it also controls the ingredients we put in our mouths.
I’ve adapted this recipe to be gluten free but if you do not need to be without gluten, just sub in all purpose baking flour for the gluten free mix. The walnuts add that lovely crunch and (with the added salt) give the recipe a slightly salty flair. I bake these in my Grandma’s old glass rectangular pan so that I may be reminded of her. Once slightly cooled, my family fights over the warm chewy edge pieces!!
This is a good old fashioned, never-fails-me recipe and I LOVE it. Shared lovingly by my sweet Swedish Grandma Aina Kristina, I share this recipe with you. Be warned, these are addictive and don’t last a day with my friends and family!
What You’ll Need
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup gluten free flour mix
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
In a bain marie melt the chocolate and butter. To be honest, I just do this in a glass measuring cup in my microwave but I watch it carefully so I don’t scorch the chocolate. I melt it long enough to melt the butter and begin melting the chocolate and then I let it sit, stirring occasionally to melt the chocolate.
In your stand mixer beat the eggs until creamy. Slowly add the sugar. Add the vanilla and then the melted chocolate mixture. Blend until combined. Stir in the flour and salt (or use a low setting on your stand mixer). Add half of the walnuts. Stir until combined. Pour into an 8×8 greased pan and top with remaining walnuts. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. They should seem slightly underdone in the centre when you remove them from the oven. You may need to adjust your cooking time depending on what type of gluten free flour mix you use….just be sure not to over bake these. 
They would make the perfect mother’s day treat!
Enjoy!
Jacqui xo