Brownie

Dried sour cherries and a hint of cinnamon add an original twist to a tried-and-true standby. And you don't even need a mixing bowl: The batter is made in the saucepan with the melted chocolate.

Rich brownies are baked with a chocolate syrup that sinks to the bottom and thickens into a fudgy sauce, creating a luscious layering of textures.

"The Farm of Beverly Hills has the most incredible, delectable giant brownies!" says Cindy Grand of San Francisco, CA. "They taste more like fudge with a light, crunchy surface. Would you help me get the recipe?" These are probably the fudgiest brownies we've ever tried—in fact, they seemed too rich to serve in giant squares, so we've cut them smaller. They taste even better the day after they're baked.

This brownie, baked in a tart pan, gets its moistness from cream cheese and its fudginess from the best-quality cocoa and chocolate. Little puddles of ganache are poured into holes made in the brownie, after it has baked, with a the handle of a wooden spoon. Chocolate doesn't get better than this.

The best recipe I have for brownies comes from a friend who got it from a magazine article about Katharine Hepburn. It is, apparently, her family's.

Adding macadamia nuts and ginger transforms familiar brownies into something truly extraordinary. For a festive summer finale, serve them with strawberries.

Nobody can resist brownies, especially when they’re studded with chunks of white chocolate and served with strawberries.

These thick, chewy brownies have a peanut-butter base and a chocolaty top.

Two toppings — one mint, one chocolate — accent these luscious treats. Serve them with your choice of fresh fruit. Wrap the brownies in foil, and pack the fruit in an airtight plastic container.

In 1897, the Sears catalog offered its customers a treat called brownies. No one seems to remember whether they were bar cookies or a chocolate confection named after a popular cartoon character. No matter; by the 1900s the brownie as we now know it had arrived. The recipe for these dense, moist brownies is from Heather Ho, pastry chef at Boulevard in San Francisco.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Mexican chocolate, usually found in tablet form, contains cinnamon, sugar, and ground almonds — as do these fudgy squares.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr (includes cooling)

Cocoa brownies have the softest center and chewiest candylike top "crust" of all because all of the fat in the recipe (except for a small amount of cocoa butter in the cocoa) is butter, and all of the sugar is granulated sugar rather than the finely milled sugar used in chocolate. Use the best cocoa you know for these fabulous brownies.