Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

I found this recipe on two different food blogs I read, so I figured they must be good. Turns out, they're awesome. They stay fresh, dense and chewy for days (two of us polished them off in three days)! I also learned how to spell "mascarpone," so making these brownies was quite a personal success. They are a little more time consuming than other made-from-scratch recipes, but I think it's worth it for these guys have when you're done. 

1 cup unsalted butter

3 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened

3 large eggs, at room-temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or leftover chopped semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 325°F; butter an 8-inch square pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and bring it to just below a boil; have the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl--pour the hot butter over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.

I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate from bars we got at IKEA…so just use whatever you have on hand for the chopped chocolate, it will be good regardless. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar and cocoa powder. 

With a wooden spoon, beat in the mascarpone, eggs (30 minutes on the counter brings them to room temperature-I also recently learned you do this to avoid any chance of cooking the eggs when adding them to batter or dough mixtures). Then add vanilla, mixing until smooth.

Gently fold the flour and salt into the batter. Add walnuts and chocolate chips, stirring only enough to mix in. 

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly--if the batter isn't spread evenly, it won't bake evenly.

Place into preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean (45 minutes did it for me). Place pan on a cooling rack and let brownies cool for 10-15 minutes. Eat. Immediately. 

They were so good, I was told "I can't believe these didn't come out of a box."  You know how most brownies get a little "crusty" on the edges and corners? These have the exact same softness and texture throughout. Basically, the corner pieces feel and taste the exactly like the middle piece--that's pretty incredible if you ask me, and one more reason I will be making these guys again...soon.