Ultimate Fudgy Brownies

I wanted to make some basic, no-frills brownies, so I made these from a recipe out of the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. They came out very good, a bit cakey but still delicious. I followed the recipe for the most part except that I had to substitute cocoa powder and butter for unsweetened chocolate and I used half sugar and half Splenda. Next time, I'd try less sugar and more cocoa powder for less sweet, but more chocolaty flavor.

INGREDIENTS

5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan. Melt the chocolates, butter, and cocoa in the microwave at low, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly.
2. Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour until no streaks remain.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Let cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, before removing the brownies and cut into squares.

I also used a 9-inch cake pan, not square pan. The cookbook advises against cutting the brownies until serving as they will dry out. Something to keep in mind. I ended up not taking any photos as they disappeared too quickly.