Finding forgotten dessert in the freezer is akin to finding twenty dollars tucked in your jacket pocket. I've wisely taught myself to pack leftover brownies, scones, and raw cookie dough away in the freezer. Hide them under your sensible frozen foods -- bags of peas, cornmeal, almonds, and ice cubes -- and thank yourself later.
Brownies lend themselves to freezing above all desserts, in my opinion. Choose a recipe that is between cakey and fudgy. The more fudgy, the less it will freeze solid, so it yields to your teeth as you bite.
For freezing, I like these King Arthur Flour brownies best. Packed with plenty of chocolate chips, they're easy to bake and have a crisp, crackling crust.
If I'm in a rush and have no chocolate chips on hand, I bake plain cocoa brownies. And if I am trying to literally send someone into a chocolate coma, then I turn to the inimitable Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies. But we'll save that discussion for another day, when we have a cold glass of milk at the ready.
Fudge Brownies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups cocoa (Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" x 8" pan (or a 9" x 13" pan, if you want your brownies to be less thick).
Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Beat very well (for at least 3 minutes).
Meanwhile, melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan. Add the sugar to the melted butter and continue to cook (or microwave) until the sugar is dissolved and shiny-looking.
Add the hot butter and sugar to the egg/cocoa mixture and stir to combine (don't overmix).
Add the flour and chocolate chips and stir to combine (don't overmix).
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes (start checking at 25 minutes if you used a larger pan). The brownies are ready when a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the brownies cool on a rack before cutting.