I first spotted Ina Garten's recipe for Outrageous Brownies on Smitten Kitchen. In the past, I haven't been much of a brownie baker, so I read Deb's post and moved on. But then I saw Ina make them on the Barefoot Contessa and they looked amazing and delicious. The recipe made an impression on me, so much so that I looked it up online and bookmarked it. I nearly made them on New Year's Eve but instead opted for a recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook. Those brownies were mediocre the first night and increasingly better each subsequent evening (and we did eat them until they were all gone).

Sunday afternoon, my friend Johnny called to say that he was putting together an impromptu dinner for that evening. When I accepted the invitation, he asked if I wouldn't be willing to bring dessert. I said of course and started plotting. I briefly considered making a fruit tart before deciding that brownies would be best. Luckily, I just happened to have all the ingredients necessary for these brownies and so started measuring, melting and mixing. They came together quickly and baked up in just under half an hour. I was a little concerned when I first cut into them, because they seemed a little greasy (they do call for a full pound of butter), but as they cooled completely, they firmed up and developed the ability to hold all that butter with aplomb.

These are excellent brownies. They are deeply fattening, but they are totally delicious. I took the leftovers to my cousin's house tonight for dinner and we ended up standing around the plastic container in which they were stored, eating them in broken pieces as a pre-dinner dessert course. If you want a really indulgent, fool-proof, amazing brownie recipe, look no further. Thanks Ina, for the fabulous recipe.