Nonna's German Sweet Chocolate Brownies

After reading Aunt Sue's post on This Old Paper entitled "Nonna's German Sweet Chocolate Brownies", I knew I had to make those brownies.  I have been looking for a brownie recipe for a while now, and I always find myself going back to a mix.  The brownies I have a made from scratch always seemed to have something wrong with them.  They never seemed to be quite right no matter what recipe I tried.  I was beginning to think maybe I didn't like brownies they way they are 'supposed' to taste, and I had been conditioned to prefer the mix.  Oh, let it not be so!

Armed with a new recipe with Nonna and Aunt Sue's seal of approval, I figured this would be my best shot at finding a brownie recipe I would enjoy.  After finding it incredibly easy to convince Valerie and the kids to let me try a new brownie recipe, off to the store we went to get what we needed for the brownies.  With confidence brimming, I purchased some sweet German chocolate and headed home to get cooking.

The brownies were a cinch to prepare and filled the house with the sweet smell of chocolate as they were baking.  Waiting for them to cool was an act of patience I don't soon want to repeat, but I stayed strong.  My patience was rewarded as soon as I tried one.  Still a bit warm from the oven, the brownie was rich, dense, chocolaty, sweet and chewy.  My idea of a darn good brownie.  I have posted the recipe below.  The original recipe calls for margarine, but I substituted butter without any issues.  I also omitted nuts from mine.  We're a nutless brownie kind of group in my house.  I also chose not to put icing on the brownies this time, though I'm sure it would be delicious!

German Sweet Chocolate Brownies
Makes 16
Printable Recipe
1 pkg. (4 oz.) Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate
1/4 C (1/2 Stick) margarine (or butter)
3/4 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
1/2 C Flour
1/2 C coarsely chopped Nuts

Melt chocolate and margarine in a 2-quart saucepan over very low heat; stir constantly until just melted. Remove from heat. Stir sugar into melted chocolate. Stir in eggs and vanilla until completely mixed. Mix in flour until well-blended. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased 8-inch square pan. Bake 350 degrees – 25 min. (Do not overbake) Cool in pan. Cut in squares.
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If you wish icing -

Over low heat melt 4 (1 oz.) squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate with 1/4 C (1/2 Stick) margarine (or butter). Stirring constantly until just melted. Spread over Brownies. Chill. Cut into squares.

Trees in spring

Over the last couple weeks I have really started to take notice how beautiful the flowering trees are this year. Eva had posted a picture of her young magnolia tree on her blog and it inspired me to go take pictures of Nonna's magnolia and weeping cherry tree.

I found out I was not alone with my idea when I talked to Uncle Lee as I was taking pictures of the trees. He informed me that my Aunt Sue had posted pictures of the trees on This Old Paper, and he was planning a post on his Postcardiness's Blog. (He posted it Sunday, and you can see it here.)

So, even though I am lacking in originality, I'm still posting my pictures. Nonna's magnolia tree means so much to me, as I spent many a summer day climbing on it's branches. It has been so many things; an apartment, a spaceship, a restaurant, you name it. A lot of creativity dwelled within those branches.

The weeping cherry tree, on the other hand, always posed a problem for me while mowing that yard. I remember fighting through those weeping branches when they were long enough to touch the ground. I always loved it, though, and think it is one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. Enjoy the pictures!