Recipe #3 -- Banana Brownies

It's snowing outside, and I'm in the mood for something chocolate. Not that chocolate has anything to do with snow ... I never REALLY need an excuse for chocolate! However, I do have some very ripe bananas that need to be used up. Usually I make banana bread, but tonight I felt like something different. So I turned to this book ...If you are remotely interested in chocolate and you haven't checked out this book yet, you haven't truly experienced chocolate! The book itself is a joy ... expensive-looking chocolate bar cover, gilded page edges, built in book mark ... rather like a nice bible. It's just beautiful! And the recipes inside ... oh baby! So let's dive right in and make Banana Brownies. Here's the "cast of characters" (as Pioneer Woman would say) ...

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces dark, semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups dark
brown sugar3 large eggs
2 ripe bananas

Begin by generously buttering a pan. This is one of those little 9 inch square baking pans. Don't ask me to translate that into metric. Some things I just can't translate!Then melt your chocolate squares, butter, and brown sugar over very low heat, or in a double boiler. Yes, I did say BUTTER. I refuse to use margarine. I have a "thing" about consuming whipped plastic with artificial colour and flavour. But I will not judge you if you choose not to use real butter. Okay? Okay. I think I've said that a couple of times in the last month, so I'll try not to go on about butter versus margarine again.While your chocolate is melting, mix together your flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.Then mix in your eggs, pecans, and banana. The recipe calls for coarsely chopped pecans and mashed banana. I like chunks of things. Tasty surprises for my tongue, teeth, and taste buds. Please feel free to chop up your pecans and mash up your bananas as much as you want.Then add the melted chocolate-butter-brown sugar mixture to the rest of your ingredients, and mix it all together. Don't get too excited about making this batter super smooth. Brownies are better if you leave the batter a bit lumpy and bumpy.Spread this batter into your buttered pan, and ...... bake at 325 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. If you try to test for doneness with a toothpick or dinner knife blade, your tester object will likely come out with a bit of batter stuck to it. This does NOT mean your brownies are uncooked after 35 minutes (unless you forgot to turn your oven on). This means your brownies are nice and moist THE WAY GOOD BROWNIES ARE MEANT TO BE.Let cool. The recipe says this will cut into 24 brownies. HAH! Only if you're planning to feed 24 Lilliputians! I'm going to frost these babies with cream cheese frosting, cut them into 12 pieces, and take them to work in the morning for our Friday morning staff meeting.

Or not.

Enjoy!