Mexican Brownies

This past weekend I also made Mexican Brownies from Vegetarian Planet. I liked them a lot--didn't love them, but did like them. Mike said that they were too death-by-chocolatey. I brought Caity, Jess, Matt, Derrick, and Joe some (as well as some of the coffeecake) and Jess loved them. She said she doesn't normally like brownies, but really liked these. Caity loved the coffeecake. Garnet ate some of the brownies too and also thought they were amazing. They are very very dense and not super sweet. The cinnamon really brings out the darkness and depth of the chocolate. If you like milk chocolate brownies, these certainly are not for you. I will probably make them again, but I will experiment with ways to make them a little less dry and a little more gooey.

Mexican Brownies
7 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces, or chocolate chips [I used regular bittersweet baker's chocolate]
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted (optional) [I didn't use these]
1) In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set on top of a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water. Take the mixture of the heat, and let it cool for 5 minutes. [Or just use the microwave like I did]
2) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, sugar, and flour. Mix well.
3) With a whisk, beat 1 egg into the cooled chocolate. Add the second egg and the vanilla, then beat again. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture and, if you like, the almonds. Stir until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are firm but still moist inside.
4) Let the brownies cool for at least 1 hour before removing them from the pan. Transfer them to a plate, and serve them. They keep well, indiividually wrapped, in the refrigerator, for a week.
Makes twelve brownies.