By February. Valentine's ribeyes — fourth consecutive year. Cast iron. Butter. Thyme. Garlic. Connie said perfect. Four years. The dynasty continues. I should have the cast iron bronzed and displayed in a museum under a plaque that reads: Four Consecutive Perfects, 2022-2025, Hensley Kitchen, Lexington, Kentucky.
Amber called with news about Nadia — she's pulling up on furniture, trying to stand, eleven months old and already vertical, already looking at the world from a higher angle. Amber says she has James's determination and Craig's stubbornness, and I said those are the same thing and she said exactly. Nadia will walk early. Nadia will do everything early because she is Amber's daughter and Amber has never been late for anything in her life except her own birth, which doesn't count.
The cough had a good week. Only five minutes in the morning instead of fifteen. The cold spell broke mid-week and the warmer air helped and I walked without the scarf for the first time since November and the air went in and came out and the exchange was smooth, uninterrupted, the kind of breathing that people who don't think about breathing take for granted and that I will never take for granted again.
Connie said the ribeyes were perfect — and they were, for the fourth consecutive year — but a dynasty without dessert is just a streak. With Nadia pulling herself upright on the other side of the state and the air finally moving through my lungs the way it’s supposed to, February felt worth celebrating all the way to the end. These Valentine Heart Brownies gave us that: a rich, chocolatey close to the evening that matched the warmth we already had going in the kitchen, the kind of simple thing that says “this night mattered” without needing to make a speech about it.
Valentine Heart Brownies
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for frosting)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (for frosting)
- 1–2 tablespoons milk (for frosting)
- Red or pink food coloring
- Valentine sprinkles or red sugar, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
- Melt butter. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder until just incorporated — do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 23–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter). Do not overbake.
- Cool completely. Lift the brownies out using the parchment overhang and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting or frosting.
- Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter with powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth and spreadable. Add a few drops of red or pink food coloring and mix until the color is even. Add additional milk a little at a time if the frosting is too thick.
- Cut heart shapes. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut brownies into heart shapes. Alternatively, cut into squares and trim the corners to suggest a heart shape.
- Frost and decorate. Spread or pipe the pink frosting onto each brownie heart. Finish with Valentine sprinkles or a dusting of red sugar. Serve the same day or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 245 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 85mg