Brownies and Mojitos

On the hottest day of the summer, what do I decide to do in an un-air conditioned house? That's right...bake brownies.

My friend Kevin, of Pocket Pigs fame found the recipe (I think it is from foodtv.com / Alton Brown) and made some last weekend. He brought them for dessert Saturday night and they ignited a chocolate craving. Needeless to say, I got the recipe, and actually had all the ingredients in house, so...

It is an easy recipe, so I included it in the continuation below.

It turns out that either my oven is not as hot as it should be, or that the recipe requires more than 45 minutes to bake. My brownies came out a lot more "fudgier" than Kevin's. Still good, but probably a hair underbaked. Not quite half-baked like the guy who made them on a hot night in a sweltering house, but at least I had mojitos to keep me cool.

For those of you who've never heard of a mojito, it is a great summer drink that is Spanish/Mexican (?) in origin. Essentially it is a mix of crushed mint leaves, sugar, fresh lime juice, club soda, and ice. Rum is added if you want, but I am not much of a drinker. Very refreshing.

Kevin's Brownie Recipe Nabbed from Alton Brown / Food TV

Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
11/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.