Assets of cooking

According to "Taste of Home" magazine, brownies made their public debut in an 1897 Sears Roebuck catalog. Since then, the treats have proved to be timeless as well as versatile, fitting for occasions as casual as a child's birthday party or as elegant as a traditional wedding. Top-notch fudge brownies are always moist, dense and rich with flavor. Whether you're using a mix or making a batch from scratch, you can make sure your bars will turn out well every time.

Buy ingredients of the best quality you can afford. According to Baking911.com, nearly every brownie recipe contains chocolate or cocoa powder, flour, sugar, butter, eggs and salt. Even if you're using a mix to make your brownies, you'll get the best flavor if your added ingredients taste good. Use the freshest eggs and unsalted butter you can find, or buy local or organic varieties. A high-quality, all-purpose baking flour will produce the best results. Dehydrated cane sugar or another type of natural sugar will temper the sweetness of the brownie but still create an appealing texture, and kosher or sea salt will build a more complex flavor base. Chocolate is the most important ingredient. Get yours at a specialty store or in bulk from a manufacturer with a solid reputation.

Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated in your recipe.

Follow the directions for the batter in your brownie recipe, being careful not to overwork it. Combine the ingredients with a spoon or whisk rather than an electric mixer.

Rub your brownie pan with an even, thin coating of butter and scatter flour over the pan.

Pour the brownie batter into the pan and bake as directed in your recipe.

Check the brownies a few minutes in advance of their specified baking time. Test for doneness with a toothpick. The brownies are finished baking when the toothpick comes away with a few moist crumbs on it, according to MarthaStewart.com.

Let the brownies cool and loosen them around the edges of the pan with a knife before cutting them into squares.