One of my favorite aspects of our house is the beautiful custom bookshelf Joe’s uncle built into our living room wall. It is probably the most sophisticated aspect of our entire home and has added a new level of character. My other favorite part of our house is the collection of books systematically lining the shelves of said bookshelf. It’s lined with favorites we’ve read time and again, college textbooks that we might still need one day, thrift-store finds purchased for mere cents, and a collection of decorative knick-knacks that have been accumulated over the years.

My particular pride and joy are the three shelves dedicated to cooking magazines and cookbooks: some have been handed down from friends and family; some were gifts for special occasions, with sentimental notes on the inside cover; all of them are incredibly valued and appreciated. The latest addition, The Brown Betty Cookbook, was a Christmas gift from my godson. All of the delectable treats from the popular Northern Liberties bakery are profiled in the book, and I feel as if I have a relic in my possession. Though their claim to fame is the generously proportioned cupcakes, I tackled their brownie recipe last weekend in an act of sheer chocolate dependency.

 

Triple-Chocolate Nut Brownies

From The Brown Betty Cookbook by Linda Hinton Brown and Norrinda Brown Hayat

1 tablespoon plus 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9×13 pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. In a large microwave-safe glass bowl, microwave the remaining butter and unsweetened chocolate together for 15 to 20 seconds, then stir and repeat until melted. Gradually stir the granulated sugar and brown sugar into the butter mixture until blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, to the chocolate batter and mix until smooth. By hand, stir in ½ cup each of the nuts and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and chocolate chips on top. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan of brownies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares.

When you need a chocolate fix, it can be complicated to pick a recipe from a book that has ample options. “Dear Ruth,” the bakery’s chocolate sour cream cake with chocolate butter cream is ever-enticing, pictured in the book with dainty chocolate curls enveloping the iced sides of the cake. My favorite cupcake, “Hattie Don’t Play,” is a delicious chocolate on chocolate treat in their store, but features a layer of ganache in its cake form. Funny enough, Linda Hinton Brown, co-author of the cookbook with her daughter, Norrinda Brown Hayat, claims not to be a chocoholic. Luckily, she appreciates it enough to include this amazing, moist, dense brownie recipe. As much as I adore all baked goods across the board, I respect brownies for their sheer simplicity. More often than not, all of the ingredients are readily available in your kitchen and the skills involved are limited only to “stirring.”

The strong flavor of the unsweetened chocolate and dark cocoa powder is the perfect ratio to the sugars, and the final result is not overly sweet. Crunchy pieces of nuts and chocolate chips switch up the soft texture of the brownie, making this a completely perfect dessert.

With all of the amazing recipes in this cookbook, the brownies are only the tip of the chocolate-flavored cookbook. There are enough items to satisfy my cocoa cravings through 2013, but I certainly don’t discriminate against Brown Betty’s sweet potato pudding, or “Sing Little Alice,” their marble pound cake, and I certainly have no qualms regarding their red velvet cake, known as “Jean’s Road Trip.” This cookbook has a special, permanent place on my bookshelf, and an even more special place in my heart.