Andre's Brownies

I created these for the young man who designed and set up my web site (www.guthriesbooks.com). Andre insisted he didn’t want to be paid, that he was doing something he loved, so I asked him what else he loved. His answer was “brownies.”

INGREDIENTS

16 perfect pecan halves

3/4 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons pure cocoa powder

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

Spread the pecans, including the perfect halves, in a shallow baking pan and toast them in a 325-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes to bring out their flavor. Be careful not to let them scorch; pecans toast more quickly than other nuts. Leave oven on. Butter an 8'-square baking pan; set aside.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa together. In a pan over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, Grand Marnier, and orange zest to the chocolate butter mixture; blend well. Add sugar to well-beaten eggs and beat again to combine thoroughly. Add egg-sugar mixture to chocolate mixture. Mix in flour mixture a bit at a time, beating well after each addition to get a smooth, rich batter. Add the chopped toasted nuts, stir to distribute evenly, and pour into the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out dry. Remove at once and allow to cool. Place the pecan halves on top while the brownies are still hot—four across in four rows.

The sixteen picture-perfect brownies can be attractively boxed with colorful tissue and wrapped, or you can put them on a pretty plate to share with coworkers or your children’s classmates.