Salted Fudge Brownies

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! For me, Valentine’s Day means three important things:

1.       My brother’s birthday. (¡Feliz Cumpleaños, hermano!)

2.       Traditional heart-shaped pizza with my sweetie. (It may be an unconventional tradition, but it’s ours and it’s yummy!)

3.       An excuse to eat chocolate. (Like I needed an excuse!)

This year, the chocolate has been accompanied by a healthy dose of salt. My sweetie surprised me by making these sweet treats:

But that’s not all! In honor of Valentine’s Day, I present to you my favorite salt-and-chocolate recipe:

Salted Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt, divided

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a square 8” or 9” square pan with foil. Grease.

2.       In a large saucepan, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Keep the heat low, and keep a close eye on it. Once it is good and melted, turn off the heat.

3.       One at a time, whisk in the cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and flour. Pour batter into the pan.

4.       Sprinkle half the salt over the batter. Use a butter knife to swirl in the salt. Sprinkle the rest of the salt over the batter.

5.       Bake the brownies for 35 minutes. Let them cool on the counter so an hour or so, then in fridge for another hour. Take the brownies and foil out of the pan and cut the brownies into equal portions. Enjoy!

For more Valentine’s Day treats, check out Tuesday at the Table at A Quilter’s Table.