My Favorite Brownies

We went to our friends' apartment in Brooklyn to watch the East River fireworks from their roof. (I was skeptical about their view until I got there, and then I decided it was one of the best rooftops I've been to: When you're in Brooklyn or Queens, the Manhattan skyline is the backdrop for the fireworks display, which beats the big neon Pepsi sign that you see from the Manhattan side any day. Plus, it's one of New York's best kept secrets, so there's no jostling 40,000 other people and trying to wheedle your way past vigilant doormen trying to put the kibash on July 4th roof parties.) Our host made some great salmon burgers and a cherry granita from Martha Stewart that I'm definitely going to have to track down (it was almost chewy from the cherries, with a beautiful deep red color and a vibrant cherry flavor).

I took a panful of brownies from a recipe I cut from Cooking Light. These really are fantastic, fudgy brownies. One of the best things about this brownie recipe is that all the ingredients are things you probably have in your kitchen already (except maybe the espresso powder, but that's a good baking staple to have).

Set the oven for 325 degrees. Then you beat 1 cup sugar and 2 eggs with a mixer on high until it's pale and thick (about 5 minutes). Add 2 teaspoons of espresso powder that has been dissolved into a tablespoon of water, 1/4 cup melted butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and mix until combined.

Next mix 1 cup flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add that to the sugar mixture (the batter's really thick), and spread it in a 9-inch square baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes to see if it's cooked through. They're fudgy so they may never look "done," but the center should start looking a little dry like the outer edge. It's hard to describe what I mean, but it's probably better to undercook them a little rather than overcook them.