I'm still on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I stumbled upon a great recipe a few years ago in James Peterson's "Baking" cookbook, but I haven't been able to re-create them as well as I did that first time. That was a transcendental cookie experience.
Brownies I mastered early, thanks to British food star Nigella Lawson's cookbook, "How to be a Domestic Goddess."
The trick is melting very good-quality baking chocolate and butter together, combining that with sugar and 5 to 6 eggs and then adding at most 11/2 cups of flour. The recipe produces gooey, dense brownies. These are not dry, firm, made-from-a-box brownies. These are not lunch-box brownies, because they don't travel well. They survive best in their pan and are a hit at potlucks and picnics. With Fourth of July parties only a few days away, I thought readers would like a go-to dessert.