I processed several new(ish) Miles videos over the weekend.  Enjoy.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprille/4381532943/[/flickrvideo]

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprille/4381532665/[/flickrvideo]

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprille/4382291564/[/flickrvideo]

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprille/4381532045/[/flickrvideo]

This recipe produces a slight variation on a batch of brownies Denny’s coworker Jay brought for us shortly after Miles was born.  They were seriously the best brownies I had ever had in my life.  Admittedly, I was sleep-deprived, starving from breastfeeding, and easily influenced.  Still, they will remain in my memory as the greatest treat in the world.

I was in the mood for a batch tonight, and I decided to make a few tweaks.  They’re still in the oven, but if the raw batter is any indication, they are fan-freaking-tastic. [Update:  the batter did not lie.]

The Best Brownies You Ever Put in Your Face

Preheat oven to 350F.

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons amaretto (original called for 1 tsp vanilla)
1/2 cup AP flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (original called for 1/4 tsp table salt)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 1 stick the butter.  While it’s melting, mix the eggs, sugar, and amaretto in a medium bowl.  Add flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder, sifting the cocoa through a fine mesh strainer.

Brown the butter:  after it has melted, it will foam up.  Stir it frequently.  The foam will subside, then after a brief break from foam, more foam will appear.  Keep stirring often until it is a nice medium brown.  Remove from the heat.  Don’t let it get too brown, because it will continue to brown a little after it’s off the heat.

Carefully pour a little (maybe 1/4 of the saucepan’s contents) of the butter into the batter.  Stir to incorporate.  Repeat, a little at a time, until it’s all blended.  If you dump it in all at once it will separate, and that is gross.

Pour into a nonstick cooking sprayed 8×8 baking dish.  I had about half a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips lying around, so I sprinkled those on top.  You could do that too, if you wanted.  You could also use Andes mints, nuts, cut-up Snickers bars, whatever.  If I were you I wouldn’t get too crazy, though, since you don’t want to overwhelm the awesomeness of these brownies in their pure state.

Lick the bowl.  It’s your duty as an American.  When I did it, I actually said “Oh hell to the yes” out loud.

Bake for about 25 minutes.  Do not overbake—check it a little early.

“What do you mean, there are no more brownies?”

Giant congratulations to my favorite chef and (dare I say it?) personal friend Matt Steigerwald, chef/owner of the Lincoln Café and nominee for a 2010 James Beard Award:  Best Chef—Midwest.

This is huge.  The Beard Award is the Nobel Prize of the food world.

Not only does he make fantastic, creative, local and seasonal cuisine, he is humble and funny and kind.  Matt and his restaurant are an asset to our state.  Between the Lincoln Café and gay marriage, Iowa is pretty much the best place ever.

“Miles, who’s that?”

“Daddy.”

“Do you love Daddy?”

(giggling) “Yeah.”

“Do you love him a lot?”

“Eight, nine, ten!”