Accidentally Awesome Brownies!

A number of years ago, we were living in Israel for my husband's job.  Brownies are one of our favorite desserts, but brownie mixes are hard to come by in Israel.  Other families attached to the military or the embassy could use the commissary, but we didn't.  We just made the best of the situation and found substitutes for things, or learned to make new things.  In this case, I looked up brownie recipes online.  We tried several recipes, but didn't find any that tasted like a boxed mix.....until...

I found a recipe online that was pretty good, but not quite the same.  I had made it a few times, and one night   I whipped up a double batch of brownies, and put them in the oven.  They turned out different than the other times I had made them.  I thought back, and realized that I had doubled all of the ingredients except the eggs.  They were fabulous, nice and fudgy, chewy around the edges, and, well, mmmmmm.  I've tweaked the recipe a bit more since then, and thought I'd share it today.  Don't you love happy accidents?

I baked a batch last night to take to some friends' house for dinner.  I was reminded how good they are.  They are especially yummy when served topped with ice cream and caramel or butterscotch syrup.  If you must, hot fudge is great as well.  Personally I love chocolate, vanilla, and caramel together.  I always use real butter, real vanilla, and other quality ingredients.  Enjoy!

Accidentally Awesome Brownies

1 1/2 C. Melted butter
3 C. Sugar
1 T. Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 C. Cocoa powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 350, and spray 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray.  Mix together first four ingredients and mix until well combined.  Stir together dry ingredients and add to wet mixture, mixing well.  Spread batter in pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is set.