Dark Chocolate Butter Brownies

I've been doing a pretty good job of working out a lot more lately.  I've been running, which I hate more than almost anything else in the world...with the passion of a thousand firey suns.  But still.

I've figured out a few things that work for me when I want to run more.  First, running with music (duh).  Secondly, now that it's cooler out it makes it MUCH easier.  Three, Cricket.  When you wake up in the morning to a ridiculously hyper fuzz rocket whom you've trained to know that waking up = taking her for a run and you see that goofball face and tail wagging so hard her entire rear end is sweeping back and forth...let's just say it's  hard to say no.

So that's the good news.  The bad news is in the middle of my super motivated stretch of running, I decided to make brownies.  What's that you ask?  Normal human brownies with normal amounts of things in them?  Resistable with just the faintest hint of self-control?  Oh no way.

I went with a recipe that is just an all-out festival of butter, cocoa, and dark chocolate chunks.  They are.  Oh so good.  If you're into butter and rich beautiful dark chocolates.  They're still sweet.  But there are some pleasant dark chunks, no lie.

I dusted them with powdered sugar because that's how my mama used to make them.  Love you Mom!

So how much butter is in these?  Oh you know, just enough that I'm naming them butter brownies, no bigs.  But good news, butter makes everything so good!  So make these next time you have an office potluck.  Or give them all to one friend you may have who happens to be a little too skinny in your opinion.  You know, whatever. 

Dark Chocolate Butter Brownies
(adapted from blue eyed bakers)

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder

3 sticks unsalted butter, cubed

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

3 eggs

1 3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used 60% Ghirardelli's -- if you don't like dark chocolate, use another 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chips instead)

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Butter and flour a 9 inch square pan.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt.  Set aside

Place half the butter (1.5 sticks) in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave just until melted, and stir in remaining butter until smooth.  Butter should now be about room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the sugar and eggs about 3 minutes, until pale and custard-looking.  Stir in the vanilla until combined.  Add flour mixture and butter in alternating batches (about 1/3 at a time) until all is mixed in.  Stir in both types of chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared dish and bake at 350 about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Allow to cool about 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a cutting board.  Carefully cut into squares and turn right side up.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Can be stored in an airtight container.