Cakey Brownie Bites

My favourite thing to bake is brownies, hands down. They're quick and easy, and I never have to buy extra ingredients. Chocolate treats are always appreciated at parties and gatherings, and you can usually whip them up in an hour, tops. My dream is to make a batch of triple chocolate brownies (with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting... yum!), but I haven't made the effort yet. One day...

Preparing the liquid component...

I've tried a few recipes over the years. Fudgey brownies, cakey brownies, cinnamon brownies, Bailey's brownies... I love all of them, with just a touch of cinnamon. Walnuts are a must too in my opinion, but when you're baking for a crowd, it's best to just stick with the bare basics to avoid allergies.

The basic batter. Or is it dough?

I want to say that if you like your desserts very sweet, you should double or even triple the amount of sugar I indicate. I tend to halve sugar values on recipes I find, because I don't like tooth-numbing sweetness in desserts. A sugarbomb isn't good for anyone, and of course I'm cheap like that. I don't think anyone have actually noticed, so maybe it doesn't matter.

Proud momma <3 Burnt the edges a little, so don't overbake!

Cake Brownies (makes 36 bite-sized, or 16 regular-sized)

Ingredients: 
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- chopped nuts (optional)
- caramel bits (optional)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 8x8 inch pan.
2. Melt butter and chocolate in separate bowls in microwave. Chocolate chips should be melted by 30 second intervals (around 1 minute in total); mash with spoon to check if they are fully melted. 
3. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, chocolate, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in eggs. 
4. Add in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix until smooth. 
5. Stir in nuts and caramel if desired. I used Skor pieces, which melted in the brownies but gave a nice hint of caramel. 
6. Spread batter evenly into pan and bake for 25 minutes. 
7. Cut and serve.

Mmm, perfect party treats... If you can resist them until the party! Of course, to test if they turned out properly, you need to try one in the corner... and one on the edge... and one at the center.... And hmm, maybe another one just to be safe, because one of them were too hard or too soft. And oops, this one here fell off the plate...

But let's hope you'll have enough for your friends~